Investigation of Simple Performance Characteristics of Plant-Produced Asphalt Mixtures in Tennessee

With the recent adoption of the dynamic modulus, flow number, and flow time tests as simple performance tests (SPTs) to complement the Superpave (R) volumetric mixture design and the selection of dynamic modulus as a basic material property input in the new AASHTO 2002 M-E design guide, SPTs have been receiving more attention and have been more often used in the asphalt community. This paper presents the results from a laboratory study with the asphalt mixtures used in Tennessee obtained by SPTs. Eleven plant-produced mixtures with asphalt cements with different PGs and different aggregates were evaluated by the dynamic modulus and flow number tests. The asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) test was also included in this study to characterize the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures. The results indicated that generally repeatable data can be obtained from the dynamic modulus test. The flow number test was able to identify the effects of both asphalt cement and aggregate in the rutting resistance of mixtures. The SPTs and APA test produced consistent results in this study.