The Use of Superpave Methodology on Volumetric Properties and Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Mixtures from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this study is to understand the feasibility of materials from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, for use in the Superpave method of designing asphalt mixes, as well as to analyze the mechanical and volumetric properties of the resulting mixes. The method of asphalt preparation most used today in Brazil is the Marshall dosage. However, given the current global context of asphalt design and the improvements observed in the industry in recent decades, there is a clear need to adopt and improve better pavement system designs in Brazil. With this study, it is possible to better understand and test new paving techniques that can change the current scenario seen in Brazil. It is clear, when analyzing the major problems that arise in the pavement of Brazilian roads, that cracks, permanent deformation, and a low fatigue life are common occurrences in the region. Through this research, the asphalt mix project carried out in the laboratory was tested both in its volumetric properties and in its mechanical properties. The volumetric properties analyzed fully complied with Superpave’s international standards for asphalt mixtures, and the mechanical properties were congruent with studies that measure similar properties. The main equipment used for the mechanical properties tests was a universal hydraulic testing machine with a capacity of 30 kN of force. The main tests included resilience modulus, fatigue life, permanent deformation (flow number), and dynamic modulus test. With this, the properties of the laboratory molded asphalt mix project can be analyzed and compared with more traditional methods seen in Brazil, as well as can be used as a future reference for comparison with new asphalt mixes made with similar processes in Brazil. In this study, the laboratory-molded asphalt mix was based on the design of 3−30 million ESALs with a design of 100 turns in a Galileo electromechanical rotating machine, reaching 96% of its maximum theoretical density, with 6% of binder, 15.79% of voids in mineral aggregate, 74.64% of volume filled with bitumen, and a density of 2.4932 kg/m3.