Analysis of Quality Control and Quality Assurance Data for Superpave Mixes

Asphalt content, voids, and mat density quality control–quality assurance data were collected for selected Marshall and Superpave mixes during 1997 and for selected Superpave mixes during 1998 and 1999. Analyses indicate that the accuracies and variabilities of asphalt content measurements for Marshall and Superpave mixes are comparable. However, analyses also indicate that the accuracies and variabilities of voids and mat density measurements are not comparable. Moreover, variabilities for Superpave mixes are much higher, and measurements for Superpave mixes are more off target than those for Marshall mixes. The effects of gyratory compactor use, mix design range for an equivalent single-axle load, and maximum aggregate size were investigated to explain the observed differences. Although few consistent trends were observed, all these factors seem to affect the variabilities and accuracies of air voids and mat densities of Superpave mixes.