Preliminary evaluation of the materials in Egypt for Superpave implementation

The Egyptian code of practice for the design of asphalt mixtures is based on Marshall mix design methodology. There is a significant shift to Superpave mix design worldwide and Egypt is one of the countries that is expected to follow this shift. For the transition to be smooth and easy for practitioners, an analysis was done to evaluate the compliance of the gradation bands available in the current Egyptian code of practice to Superpave requirements. This showed that only a few of the gradation bands could still be used with Superpave mix design, and these only with some considerations. Four gradations were developed from two of the gradation bands, and these mixes were designed using both Superpave and Marshall mix design methods. The Superpave mix design samples were tested for stability and flow. A comparison was made between both designs. The results showed that Superpave mix design yielded lower optimum binder content and that its samples had higher values of stability and flow.