This laboratory manual presents Superpave mix design system in a complete, step-by-step format. It is intended for engineers and technicians in public and private organizations to use when designing paving mixes for all classes of highways, from farm-to-market roads to urban freeways. An essential companion to this manual is "The Superpave Mix Design System Manual of Specifications, Test Methods and Practices." The Superpave software program--"The Superpave Specification, Mix Design and Support Program"--And its users manual are also necessary to take full advantage of the mix design system.

The final product of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) Asphalt Research Program is the SUPERPAVE (registered trademark) mix design system for new construction and overlays. This system employs a series of new performance-based specifications, test methods, and practices for material selection, accelerated performance testing, and mix design. This report documents these new specifications and procedures in a format suitable for eventual American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standardization.

This guide reviews the way asphalt mixture can be specified, with particular emphasis on the test methods used to measure performance. The advantages and limitations of the tests are described for measuring the desired property, and engineers can specify a test according to the material’s use. The book starts with a resume of specifications and their relative advantages and disadvantages for different situations. Then different properties are discussed in terms of: their specification; the test methods that can be used (primarily the EN 12697 suite of European methods, of which the author has been responsible for drafting); the extent to which the results predict performance; the levels that can be achieved with different asphalt mixes and types; what levels, if any, should be specified in various situations and pavement layers; and which other properties are adversely affected by enhanced performance. The final section covers various aspects of sustainability, with a strong emphasis on durability. Better understanding should enable clients and consultants who specify pavements to produce durable asphalt pavements more economically, and also help asphalt producers and students trying to understand the black art of asphalt.

A major result of the research conducted under the Strategic Highway Research Program from 1987 to 1993 was the development of the Superpave (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement) system for the comprehensive design of asphalt pavements. These 14 contributions describe the experience to date in the

This practical guide starts with a survey of the types of site and the asphalt properties which are required. Various external influences which may affect the relative importance of some properties are addressed, and the interplay of sites and external is considered. Asphalt mixture types and their properties are reviewed, largely as defined in the EN 13108 series but subdivided into further categories, and into maximum nominal coarse aggregate sizes using EN 13043 basic set plus set 2 sizes. Guidance is given, including using flowcharts, of the different mixtures that are suitable for each situation. In some cases a range of choices or mixtures with different degrees of suitability is offered. The guidance covers surface course, binder course and base, but with more focus on the surface course where the external influence is most significant. The site and external influence combinations on which a mixture can be used successfully are also given. The book is primarily intended for those who select asphalt on an occasional basis, such as architects or housing developers, but could be of use to other engineers with limited experience. It is also useful as an educational textbook for those studying asphalt technology.

Preface. Dedication. List of Figures. List of Tables. List of Contributors. Basic Behavior and Site Characterization. 1. Introduction; R.K. Rowe. 2. Basic Soil Mechanics; P.V. Lade. 3. Engineering Properties of Soils and Typical Correlations; P.V. Lade. 4. Site Characterization; D.E. Becker. 5. Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Property Assessment; D.G. Fredlund, et al. 6. Basic Rocks Mechanics and Testing; K.Y. Lo, A.M. Hefny. 7. Geosynthetics: Characteristics and Testing; R.M. Koerner, Y.G. Hsuan. 8. Seepage, Drainage and Dewatering; R.W. Loughney. Foundations and Pavements. 9. Shallo.