Description
Implementation of new technologies involving Asphalt-Rubber (AR) pavements can provide a challenge to designers and contractors especially in markets where traditional pavements are commonplace. In 2009, an AR gap-graded mixture was placed as a 0.5 kilometer pilot project test section on a highway in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The goal of this pilot project was to assess the performance of an AR pavement and the feasibility of AR implementation in Puerto Rico. The mixture was sampled in the field and was transported to Arizona State University (ASU) in the United States for further evaluation. The objective of this study was to obtain typical material characteristics of the AR mixture and assess its performance in the laboratory. Test results were compared to the ASU-Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) AR material characterization database developed at ASU over the past few years. The advanced material characterization tests included: dynamic complex modulus for stiffness evaluation, four-point bending beam for fatigue cracking assessment and repeated load permanent deformation (Flow Number) test for rutting evaluation. The materials characterization test results revealed that the pilot AR section would perform well and comparable to the Arizona AR mixtures.
