Superpave: An Evolving Standard for U.S. Bituminous Pavements

In this article, the author gives schematic information about the growing importance of superpave as a standard of bituminous pavement in the United States. General prevalence of superpave began with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) implementing the set of materials designs as the base for its standards in 2006. The specifications for superpave generally focus around three main components: 1) asphalt binder specifications that are keyed to loading and climate, 2) volumetric mix design, and 3) technologically sophisticated performance prediction using computer modeling of environmental and performance factors alongside weather databases. Currently, as the article explains, there are four main families of superpave mixes, which are administered according to analyzed performance and environmental factors. Testing of superpave is also briefly discussed as it is being conducted by the FHWA and NCAT.