Complex Modulus and Fatigue Analysis of Asphalt Mix after Daily Rapid Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Abstract

Québec roads are subjected to seasonal ambient temperature variations and daily rapid variations of temperature. These significant temperature variations in combination with the moisture inside the pores result in the development of premature deterioration in asphalt pavement. At present, the effect of regional freeze-thaw cycles on fatigue cracking has not been considered in the Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide method or other design methods in cold regions, whose results overestimate the pavement life. Hence, the main objective of this study was to conduct the thermomechanical tests on an asphalt mixture before and after rapid freeze-thaw cycles. Considering the differences regarding the 2S2P1D model parameters, it was found that the influence of freeze-thaw conditions on the stiffness behavior of the mix is higher when increasing the number of cycles from 15 to 3. Regarding fatigue test results, the reference mixture was more resistant to fatigue cracking than the conditioned mix after 3 freeze-thaw cycles.