Thermal fatigue behavior of asphalt concrete: A laboratory-based investigation approach

Cracks due to thermal fatigue phenomenon can lead to serious degradations in both structural performance and service quality of asphalt concrete roadways. Thermal fatigue cracks occur in regions with moderate climates as a result of cyclic thermal strains/stresses within the restrained pavement layers. In this study, an experimental setup is developed to measure thermal fatigue resistance of asphalt concrete specimens under constant strain amplitude loading. To simulate thermal fatigue behavior of asphalt concrete, uniaxial loading is mechanically applied to achieve constant amplitude sinusoidal strains at a frequency of 0.01 Hz. Statistical analyses of test data indicate that asphalt content, aggregate source and asphalt binder grading have the strongest effect on thermal fatigue resistance of asphalt concrete.