Rutting Performance Evaluation of Hot Mix Asphalt and Warm Mix Asphalt Mixtures by Using Dynamic Modulus, Hamburg Wheel Tracking Tests, and Viscoelastic Finite Element Simulations

In 2009, three asphalt overlay projects were constructed in Iowa State using hot mix asphalt (HMA) and WMA mixtures to evaluate the rutting resistance with different percentages of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures. A series of dynamic modulus and Hamburg wheel tracking (HWT) tests performed for both mixtures. A sensitivity finite element (FE) viscoelastic analysis developed in this study calibrated with performed dynamic modulus and verified by the HWT test results to evaluate the rutting performance of the mixtures. Then FE simulation evaluated by MEPDG equations for same repetition of HWT tests and the results of mechanistic-empirical local calibration parameters for HMA/WMA, and each mixture developed separately. The results show that presented local calibration could be used instead of local calibration parameters, recommended as one in MEPDG, to improve the accuracy of rutting distresses prediction. The addition of RAP to the WMA mixture could increase the performance of that mixtures.