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Improved performance grading of asphalt cement and hot mix asphalt in Ontario, Canada

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Abstract

Ontario municipal government agencies have recently been afflicted by significant premature pavement cracking. In response, stricter specifications were developed and implemented for acceptance on contracts. All but a few proven additives are banned in order to provide a cleaner product and the asphalt is graded after extraction and recovery from the loose mix. A set of highly sensitive rheological and failure properties are used to effectively control hard to detect constituents (e.g., reclaimed asphalt, oils, waxes, other unknowns). This paper discusses the background to the specification, the development of acceptance criteria, potential moisture susceptibility issues to be monitored, and early implementation experience.

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Abbreviations

AASHTO:

American Association of State Transportation and Highway Officials

CTOD:

Crack Tip Opening Displacement

DCM:

Dichloromethylene

DENT:

Double-Edge-Notched Tension

DSR:

Dynamic Shear Rheometer

EBBR:

Extended bending beam rheometer protocol

FC:

Friction course

GL:

Grade loss

HDBC:

Heavy duty binder course

HL:

Hot-laid asphalt

HMA:

Hot mix asphalt

LTLG:

Low temperature limiting grade

PAV:

Pressure Aging Vessel

PCI:

Pavement condition index

PG:

Performance grade

PGAC:

Performance-graded asphalt cement

RAP:

Reclaimed asphalt pavement

RTFO:

Rolling Thin Film Oven

SHRP:

Strategic Highway Research Program

SP:

Superpave

TP:

Test protocol

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Acknowledgements and disclaimer

This research was generously supported by the user agencies that supplied the materials used in this study. Agency staff is thanked for providing samples and contract information related to this study.

None of the sponsors necessarily concurs with, endorses, or has adopted the findings, conclusions, or recommendations either inferred or expressly stated in subject data developed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Moses Akentuna, Haibo Ding, Ahmad Nawaz Khan, Yiming Li & Simon A. M. Hesp

Authors
  1. Moses Akentuna
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  2. Haibo Ding
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  3. Ahmad Nawaz Khan
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  5. Simon A. M. Hesp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simon A. M. Hesp.

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Credit author statement

Moses Akentuna: Data collection, Data processing, Writing — reviewing and editing of draft and final manuscript. Haibo Ding: Data collection, Data processing. Ahmad Nawaz Khan: Data collection, Data processing, Writing — reviewing and editing of draft and final manuscript. Yiming Li: Data collection, Data processing, Writing — reviewing and editing of draft and final manuscript. Simon Hesp: Conceptualization, Supervision, Data processing, Writing of draft and final manuscript.

Declaration of interests

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests. Professor Hesp receives personal consulting income from municipal, state and federal user agencies of asphalt cement. None of the other authors have anything to declare.

Peer review under responsibility of Chinese Society of Pavement Engineering.

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Akentuna, M., Ding, H., Khan, A.N. et al. Improved performance grading of asphalt cement and hot mix asphalt in Ontario, Canada. Int. J. Pavement Res. Technol. 14, 267–275 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-020-0059-3

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