Short- and Longer-Term Effects of Short-Term Aging on Asphalt Mixture Properties

Abstract

This paper uses information collected from a full-scale untrafficked test section originally constructed for an emergency paving demonstration to determine the short- and longer-term effects of short-term aging on mixture behaviors. Increased haul times (up to 1.5 h) were a primary consideration in the paving demonstration, and this paper discusses the effects of increasing haul time to levels well beyond typical cases. A series of mixture and extracted binder test results were used to characterize the effects of short-term aging on mixtures for up to 5 years after construction in a hot climate. Whereas other studies have reported data to support concern when mixtures are held at elevated temperatures for longer times during construction, haul time effects detected in this work were secondary to parameters which are already used for project acceptance in the southeast United States. Further, the authors suggest that increased short-term aging from hauling or silo storage may have limited effect on mixture performance in certain conditions, as was the case in most analysis phases of this experiment.