Manual de laboratorio para el diseño de mezclas asfálticas en caliente mediante el método Superpave para el Laboratorio de pavimentos de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was developed in the creation of a manual containing the standards, steps, and theoretical tests on the design of asphalt mixtures using the Superpave method. A practical example was carried out in order to illustrate the process up to its first phase of design of a hot mix asphalt (HMA) using the Superpave methodology, generally using AC-20 asphalt, which is the most common in our country, performing the tests: viscosity, dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and (RTFOT) that will serve to characterize the behavior of the asphalt binder under different temperature and load conditions. Mineral aggregate properties are important for asphalt mix performance, divided into two types of aggregate properties specified in the Superpave methodology: consensus properties and source properties. Consensus properties include aggregate angularity, the presence of elongated and flattened particles, and sand equivalent. Source properties, on the other hand, include tests to measure wear angles and identify deleterious materials. This study focuses on mix properties and how they can affect its performance. The manual was developed through a trial-and-error analysis process, resulting in a mix that fell significantly below specifications due to a design with excessively dense grading. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new, more open or discontinuous grading to increase the voids between particles, ensuring that the aggregates meet the specifications of the Superpave methodology.