MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Relation Between the Dynamic Modulus of Asphalt Materials and Its Cracking Tolerance Index
Authors:	Pedro Romero-Zambrana
University:	University of Utah
Publication Date:	Jun 2024
Report #:	MPC-24-527
Project #:	MPC-701
TRID #:	01927537
Keywords:	asphalt mixtures, asphalt pavements, cracking, dynamic modulus of elasticity, mechanistic-empirical pavement design, predictive models

Abstract

This report documents the effort to develop a practical relation between the cracking tolerance index and portions of the dynamic modulus curves of asphalt mixtures. A review of practices used to create asphalt mixtures' dynamic modulus master curves, based on NCHRP reports and other relevant literature, indicates that the dynamic modulus used as input to the AASHTOWare Pavement ME® software can be generated based on four parameters. A review of data from 34 different projects indicates that the asphalt mixtures used in Utah have consistent patterns that define the ranges of the parameters used to generate the dynamic modulus master curve. Furthermore, an analysis that was conducted indicated that, theoretically, there should be some relation between the cracking tolerance index and the dynamic modulus. The relation was verified using nine different asphalt mixtures. Based on the literature review, theoretical analysis, and laboratory experiments, it was concluded that the feasibility of predicting portions of the dynamic modulus master curve using only the cracking tolerance index is reasonable and can provide more accurate results than simply using default values. It is recommended that the results be verified using a different set of asphalt mixtures and that an actual predictive relation be developed.

How to Cite

Romero-Zambrana, Pedro. Relation Between the Dynamic Modulus of Asphalt Materials and Its Cracking Tolerance Index, MPC-24-527. North Dakota State University - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo: Mountain-Plains Consortium, 2024.