Book Description

The overall objective of this study was to assess the use of locally available materials in Nevada for the development of a durable fine-graded thin hot-mix asphalt overlay mixture for pavement preservation. A comprehensive laboratory evaluation using typical materials in Nevada was conducted. The investigation considered establishing two mix designs using typical local materials for the northern and southern part of the state. An optimal asphalt binder content was selected for each mixture based on the volumetric properties and following the Nevada Department of Transportation volumetric requirements. For each mixture, the optimal binder content was varied within the allowable tolerances to simulate the potential variation in asphalt binder content during plant production. The performance of the two thin hot-mix asphalt mixtures were then evaluated at the various asphalt binder contents in terms of their resistance to moisture damage using indirect tensile strength, resistance to surface raveling and abrasion, dynamic modulus property, resistance to rutting, resistance to reflective cracking, workability and compactability, and the developed interlayer bond strength. Overall, both designed fine-graded mixtures showed a very good performance and are expected perform well when used as a thin hot-mix asphalt overlay. In particular, good stability, very good resistance to surface raveling and abrasion, and excellent resistance to reflective cracking were observed for both thin hot-mix asphalt overlay mixtures at all evaluated asphalt binder contents. Thin asphalt overlay mixtures behaved as ordinary mixture and are expected to last longer than chip seals for a lower net present worth costs.