Numerical and Graphical Method to Assess Permanent Deformation Potential for Repeated Compressive Loading of Asphalt Mixtures

Repeated-load permanent deformation testing has long been a popular way to characterize the performance of asphalt mixtures and to account for damage that leads to rutting. A number of empirical models have been used to fit repeated-load permanent deformation data. One such model, developed by Tseng and Lytton in 1989, fits permanent deformation data of most asphalt mixtures well. However, some mixtures exhibit a rate of damage that is in excess of that predicted by the 1989 Tseng and Lytton model. A numerical adaptation of the Tseng and Lytton empirical model is presented that readily characterizes such damage-susceptible mixtures. The excessive rate of damage is explained and reconciled in terms of plastic work theory and dissipated strain energy. The numerical approach is used to demonstrate the corrective effects of two types of additives to the mixtures: a recycled coproduct and hydrated lime.