Development of a Predictive System for Estimating Fatigue Life of Asphalt Mixtures Using the Indirect Tensile Test

Abstract

Fatigue cracking is a major problem in asphalt pavement. It would be beneficial for predictions of the fatigue life of asphalt mixtures to be made with minimal effort and time, both at the design stage and the operating stage of pavement. For practicality, the indirect tension (IDT) test has widely been used for testing both laboratory-made and field-cored mixtures; however, a fatigue test using the IDT test needs to be performed in the stress-controlled mode rather than in the strain-controlled mode. Results may not be comparable to those from other mixture tests, such as the flexural beam fatigue or uniaxial tension test, so this study employed the viscoelastic continuum damage (VECD) model. The