Recommended combination of the Bailey parameters in Superpave gradation design for Japanese airfield pavements

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the necessary Bailey parameters to obtain satisfactory performance of Superpave mixtures for Tokyo International Airport (HND) pavements. The experimental work, which included 22 designed blends, was divided into three parts. Part 1 and Part 2 examined the effect of the Bailey parameters on voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) and rutting resistance. Based on the Part 1 and Part 2 findings, an optimization task was conducted in Part 3. Three performance related tests, namely the asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) test, wheel tracking test (WTT) and fatigue bending test were carried out to evaluate the performance of mixtures in Part 3. The test results indicated the Superpave coarse graded mixture with mid values of all Bailey ratios met the Superpave criteria and had higher resistance to rutting and cracking. The Superpave fine graded mixtures have to be designed with a lower coarse aggregate (CA) ratio and with the mid values of fine aggregate (FA) ratios to ensure adequate volumetric properties and high resistance to rutting and cracking. A comparison was made between the blends designed with and without the Bailey method. The results indicate that the blends designed with the Bailey method have provided significant improvement over those designed by the conventional Superpave method. It is recommended that the Bailey method be directly applied in a mixture design to save design time and effort.