1

Pavement Design
• Design parameters:
o The characteristics of the subgrade.
o The applied loads. Expressed as equivalent single axel load, ESAL.
o The environment. Thermal conditions, moisture damage, oxidization… etc.
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝐸𝑆𝐴𝐿 =
18 𝑘𝑖𝑝𝑠

Structural Design
• The goal of structural design is to determine:
o The number of layers beneath pavement.
o The material composition of layers.
o The thickness of the different layers.
• Calculations are chiefly concerned with traffic loading stresses.
• Other environmentally related stresses (such as temperature) are accounted for in mix
design.

HMA Design
• Hot mix vs. Cold mix:
o Hot: asphalt cement is used, widely used.
o Cold: cutback or emulsified asphalt is used, maintenance purpose and in small
application.

• HMA mix design is the process of determining what aggregate to use, what asphalt binder
to use, and what optimum combination of these two ingredients.

• Objective of mix design:

o To determine economical blend and gradation of aggregate and asphalt content that
produce asphalt mix of a given desired mix properties.

• Mix design methods:

o Marshal Method
o Superpave Method
o Hveem Method

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

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• Desired Mix Properties:

Any mix should have:

1. Enough stability to resist loading without distortion or displacement, i.e. resist rutting
and shoving.
2. Enough durability to resist adverse effect of water damage and oxidization.
3. Enough surface friction to resist skid.
4. Enough workability to enable proper mixing, placing and compaction with no
segregation.
5. Enough crack resistance
o Flexible and soft enough to resist fatigue cracking.
o Enough stiffness and tensile strength to resist thermal cracking.
6. Enough VMA.

• VMA should be high enough to:

o Allow proper asphalt film thickness. Upper limit prevents excessive environmental
damage
o Allow slight compaction under traffic without bleeding. Lower limit to allow room
for initial densification due to traffic.
• VMA depends on:
o Aggregate gradation. If you have problems in satisfying VMA, use courser or finer
aggregate blend.
o Nominal maximum size.

• Variables:
In order to meet the desired mix properties, the designer can manipulate these variables:

1. Aggregate. Source, gradation, abrasion resistance, soundness, shape and texture.

2. Asphalt binder. Type, durability, rheology, purity, additional modifying agents.
3. The ratio of asphalt binder to aggregate.

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

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Marshal Mix Design

• Optimum asphalt binder content determination.
1. Prepare a series of initial samples, each at a different asphalt binder content.
▪ For instance, two to three samples each might be made at 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0
and 6.5 percent asphalt by dry weight for 10 to 15 samples.
▪ There should be at least two samples above and two below the estimated
optimum asphalt content.
2. Compact these trial mixes using the Marshall drop hammer.
▪ This hammer is specific to the Marshall Mix design method.
3. Test the samples in the Marshall testing machine for stability and flow.
▪ This testing machine is specific to the Marshall Mix design method.
▪ Passing values of stability and flow depend upon the mix class being
evaluated.
4. Determine the density and other volumetric properties of the samples.
5. Select the optimum asphalt binder content.
▪ The asphalt binder content corresponding to 4 percent air voids is selected
as long as this binder content passes stability and flow requirements.

Superpave Mix Design

• Optimum asphalt binder content determination.
1. Prepare several initial samples.
▪ Usually two at the proposed design asphalt content, two at 0.5 percent below
the design asphalt content and two at 0.5 percent above the design asphalt
content.
2. Compact these trial mixes in the Superpave Gyratory Compactor.
▪ This compactor is specific to the Superpave mix design method.
3. Determine the density and other volumetric properties of the samples.
4. Select the optimum asphalt binder content.
▪ The asphalt binder content corresponding to 4 percent air voids.

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/ialmohanna/
4

Hveem Mix Design

• Optimum asphalt binder content determination.
1. Prepare multiple initial samples, each at a different asphalt binder content.
▪ For instance, one sample each might be made at 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 7
percent asphalt by dry weight for a total of six samples.
2. Compact these trial mixes in the California Kneading Compactor.
▪ This compactor is specific to the Hveem mix design method.
3. Test the samples for stability and cohesion using the Hveem stabilometer and
cohesiometer.
▪ These tests are specific to the Hveem mix design method.
▪ Passing values of stability and cohesion depend upon the mix class being
evaluated.
▪ Typically, all samples pass the cohesion test and three or four pass the
stability test.
4. Determine the density and other volumetric properties of the samples.
5. Select the optimum asphalt binder content.
▪ The asphalt binder content corresponding to 4 percent air voids is selected
as long as this binder content passes stability and cohesion requirements.

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

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5

HMA Weight-Volume Terms and Relationships

• Since weight measurements are typically much easier, they are typically taken then
converted to volume by using specific gravities.

• Bulk Specific Gravity of the Compacted Asphalt Mixture (Gmb)

This value is used to determine weight per unit volume of the compacted mixture. It is
very important to measure Gmb as accurately as possible. Since it is used to convert weight
measurements to volumes, any small errors in Gmb will be reflected in significant volume
errors, which may go undetected.
𝑊𝐷
𝐺𝑚𝑏 =
𝑊𝑆𝑆𝐷 − 𝑊𝑠𝑢𝑏
• Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity of Bituminous Paving Mixtures (Gmm)

The ratio of the mass of a given volume of voidless (Va = 0) HMA at a stated temperature
to a mass of an equal volume of gas-free distilled water at the same temperature.
Multiplying Gmm by the unit weight of water gives Theoretical Maximum Density (TMD).
𝑊𝑎𝑔𝑔 + 𝑊𝑏
𝐺𝑚𝑚 =
𝑉𝑒𝑓𝑓 + 𝑉𝑏
1
𝐺𝑚𝑚 =
1 − 𝑃𝑏 𝑃𝑏
𝐺𝑠𝑒 + 𝐺𝑏
• Air Voids (Va)

The total volume of the small pockets of air between the coated aggregate particles
throughout a compacted paving mixture, expressed as a percent of the bulk volume of the
compacted paving mixture. The amount of air voids in a mixture is extremely important
and closely related to stability and durability. For typical dense-graded mixes with 12.5
mm, (0.5-inch) nominal maximum aggregate sizes air voids below about 3 percent result
in an unstable mixture while air voids above about 8 percent result in a water-permeable
mixture.
𝐺𝑚𝑏
𝑉𝑎 = (1 − ) × 100
𝐺𝑚𝑚
• Voids in the Mineral Aggregate (VMA)

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

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The volume of void space between the aggregate particles of a compacted paving mixture
that includes the air voids and the effective asphalt content, expressed as a percent of the
total volume of the specimen.
𝐺𝑚𝑏 (1 − 𝑃𝑏 )
𝑉𝑀𝐴 = (1 − ) × 100
𝐺𝑠𝑏
(𝐺𝑚𝑏 𝑃𝑠 )
𝑉𝑀𝐴 = 100 − [ ]
𝐺𝑠𝑏

• Voids Filled with Asphalt (VFA)

The portion of the voids in the mineral aggregate that contain asphalt binder. This
represents the volume of the effective asphalt content. It can also be described as the
percent of the volume of the VMA that is filled with asphalt cement. VFA is inversely
related to air voids: as air voids decrease, the VFA increases.
𝑃𝑏𝑒 × 𝐺𝑚𝑏
𝑉𝐹𝐴 = ( ) × 100
𝐺𝑏 + 𝑉𝑀𝐴
𝑉𝑀𝐴 − 𝑉𝑎
𝑉𝐹𝐴 = × 100
𝑉𝑀𝐴
𝑉𝐹𝐴 = 𝑉𝑀𝐴 − 𝑃𝑎
• Volume of Absorbed Asphalt (Vba)
The volume of asphalt binder in the HMA that has been absorbed into the pore structure
of the aggregate.
𝑊𝑏𝑎
𝑉𝑏𝑎 = × 100
𝑊𝑎𝑔𝑔
𝐺𝑠𝑒 − 𝐺𝑠𝑏
𝑉𝑏𝑎 = ( ) 𝐺𝑏 × 100
𝐺𝑠𝑏 𝐺𝑠𝑒
• Effective Asphalt Content (Pbe)
The total asphalt binder content of the HMA less the portion of asphalt binder that is lost
by absorption into the aggregate.
𝑃𝑏𝑒 = 𝑉𝑏 − 𝑉𝑏𝑎

Eng. Ibrahim Almohanna, 2019 CE 432: Highway Laboratory. Note #9

http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/ialmohanna/