Evaluation of rutting resistance of Asphalt Pavements by circular road tracking test

Abstract

Paper presented at the 26th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 9 - 12 July 2007 "The challenges of implementing policy?", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. ABSTRACT: Due to the frequent premature rutting failure in asphalt pavements in Jiangsu, a province in the east of China, a research programme using the circular road-tracking test was initiated. Different asphalt pavement structures were designed and tested to determine the critical factors in the occurrence of rutting, including different aggregate gradations, binder types and combinations of layers. Results show that the middle layer of the pavement plays an important role in rutting development, and an adequate aggregate gradation of the surface layer mix is essential to achieve the desirable rutting resistance. Moreover, asphalt with high viscosity helps to reduce rutting. The environmental influence on the occurrence of rutting is also discussed in the paper, and a pavement type with high rutting resistance, which is appropriate for Jiangsu’s climate, is recommended.