Asphalt Mix Design Testing

Asphalt Mix Design

Asphalt, or asphalt concrete, is the most commonly used material for the construction, maintenance and repair of roads and highways. It occurs in natural deposits (bitumen) or may be found in a refined product. The bitumen is utilized as binder, mixed with aggregate particles and designed specifically for applications which are affected by location, climate and other factors.

Superpave asphalt mix design (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements), originally was accredited by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) back in 1984 and received additional governmental funding in 1991 through ISTEA. This methodology was meant to address the different and unique climate and traffic situations in various parts of the country. Superpave mix design is used in all but one U.S. state. It was used to test performance similarly to the Marshall and Hveem methods. However, many factors have changed since the original Superpave development and are currently being addressed with Balanced Mix Design.

More recently the concept of Balanced Mix Design (BMD) is defined as an asphalt mix design that uses performance tests on conditioned specimens and addresses distress factors, including aging, traffic, climate and location.

Humboldt offers a complete line of solutions for asphalt design mix testing.

Load Frames for CBR and Marshall testing, available with or without data acquisition. The new Automated Balanced Mix Load Frame was designed to provide precise test rate control for balanced mix design samples. Humboldt also features a complete line of Load Frame accessories and replacement parts.

Marshall Compaction Testing machines test asphalt mixtures for stability, density and void measurements, flow testing and specific gravity.

Superpave Gyratory Compactors are used to simulate and reproduce real compaction conditions of road paving operations. Supports standard mix testing in addition to cold emulsified asphalt mixes.

Mixers for asphalt and other materials are available in different capacities, in both stationary and mobile designs. The QuarterMaster sample splitter is ideal for dividing the larger samples that are required in Superpave.

Water Baths are used for preparing and conditioning of stability specimens and are fully insulated to maintain constant temperatures.

Steel Roller Compactors allow the testing of slabs of paving materials to target mixture densities equivalent to those of full-scale compaction equipment. They are commonly used to beam fatigue and wheel tracking tests.

Marshall Mix Design Testing Equipment is integral in preparing asphalt test specimens for use with mechanical and hand compactors. For more detailed information about Marshall Testing, please visit our Asphalt Marshall Testing informational page.