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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/
State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads) 2013
Feedback: Please send your feedback regarding this document to: mr.techdocs@tmr.qld.gov.au
Technical Note 75
Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt
Manufactured using Warm Mix Asphalt Technologies
November 2012

Department of Transport and Main Roads November 2012
Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

Page 1 of 6
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General
The technical note provides guidance to TMR project managers, contract administrators and
registered asphalt suppliers on the conditions of use and procedures for registration of mix designs for
asphalt manufactured using warm mix asphalt technologies.
1.2 Benefits of Warm Mix Asphalt
Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is asphalt manufactured and/or compacted at a lower temperature than
conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA).
WMA may have one or more of the following benefits:
Improved sustainability through reduced energy consumption during asphalt manufacture
Reduced climate impact through a reduction in greenhouse gas generation
Improved safety benefits in construction since the materials and asphalt are at lower temperature
compared to HMA
Improved productivity as works that include asphalt can be opened to traffic sooner because WMA
layers can be covered with subsequent layers earlier (than HMA), and/or
Enables the use of longer haul distances for asphalt pavement construction.
A range of technologies are available to produce WMA, most of which have been developed relatively
recently. Vuong et al (2011) has identified sixteen different WMA technologies
1
which can be broadly
grouped into six categories. These technologies / categories are summarised in Table 1.
1.3 AAPA/Austroads WMA Validation Project
Austroads, in conjunction with AAPA and its members, is currently finalising a major project to assess
the performance of dense graded asphalt (DGA) asphalt surfacings manufactured using three WMA
technologies. Test sections for the AAPA/Austroads WMA Validation Project were constructed in April
2010 on Sydney Road (also called the Old Hume Highway) near Melbourne after many months of
planning. The project provided a short term (2 years) performance comparison between WMA
(containing specific WMA technologies) and HMA on a six lane urban arterial road
2
in Melbourne. The
project included extensive laboratory and field testing as part of this validation process.
A draft (unpublished) Austroads report has been produced for this project, and a final report is
programmed for completion in the near future.
Table 1 Commercially Available WMA Technologies as of June 2011
3
(adapted from Vuong et
al 2011)
Category Product / Process Supplier
Low energy asphalt (LEA1) LEA-CO Sequential aggregate coating
and binder foaming
Low emission asphalt (LEA2) Suit-Kote Corporation

1
Vuong (2011) noted that new technologies are continuing to come onto the market. The list of products is likely
to expand with time.
2
AADT for the trial site was 24,000 vehicles per day with 14% commercial vehicles. Intersections (and
approaches) were excluded from the trial.
3
WMA technologies highlighted by shading were assessed in a DGA surfacing as part of the AAPA/Austroads
WMA Validation Project
Department of Transport and Main Roads November 2012
Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

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Category Product / Process Supplier
WAM-Foam Shell International / Kolo-
Veidekke
AQUABlack Maxam Equipment Inc
Double Barrel Green Astec Industries
Terex WMA Terex Corporation
Ultrafoam GX Glencor Industries
Water-based binder foaming
4


Ammann Foam Ammann
Advera WMA PQ Corporation Binder foaming with water-
bearing additive
Aspha-Min Eurovia Services
CECABASE RT Arkema Group
Evotherm MeadWestvaco Asphalt
Innovations
Chemical additive surfactants
Rediset WMX Akzo Nobel NV
Asphaltan B Romonta GmbH Organic additives
Sasobit Sasol Wax
Shell Thiopave Shell Combined binder modifier /
organic additives
TLA-X Trinidad and Tobago Ltd
2 IMPLEMENTATION OF WMA TECHNOLOGIES BY TMR
2.1 General
The quantity of WMA being used on road construction projects throughout the world has increased
significantly in recent years. Although most jurisdictions have not established the long term
performance characteristics of these mixes, the rapid increase in usage has been primarily driven by
the benefits outlined in Section 1 of this technical note.
TMR will be adopting a staged approach to the implementation
5
of WMA. This approach is similar to
that being adopted by many jurisdictions throughout the world.
2.2 Conditions of Usage on TMR Projects
Until sufficient local performance information is available
6
for mixes containing a particular WMA
technology, WMA mix designs should be used in low risk applications, as defined in Table 2. However,
registered mixes may also be used in high risk and very high risk applications, if approved by the

4
Any water-based binder foaming system (which has been developed by a reputable asphalt plant manufacturer)
that is installed and functioning as per the manufacturers specifications/recommendations, will be considered by
TMR as equivalent to the Double-Barrel Green system used in the AAPA/Austroads WMA Validation Project.
5
A staged approach to implementation means that usage of WMA will generally be limited to roads carrying low
to medium traffic volumes. Once sufficient local performance information is available, usage will be extended to
roads carrying higher traffic volumes.
6
Local performance information is required to confirm the performance of WMA, complying with TMR technical
standards (and subject to Queenslands environmental conditions and traffic loadings), is at least equivalent to
HMA.
Department of Transport and Main Roads November 2012
Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

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Principal. As performance information for TMR registered WMA mix designs becomes available, the
limits and performance risk categories (defined herein) may be varied at the discretion of the
Director (Pavements & Materials). The actual unrestricted usage limits applicable to a particular mix
design shall be stated on the mix design certificate.

Table 2 Performance Risk Category & Conditions for Project Level Approved of Registered
WMA Mix Designs
WMA Technology assessed as part of the AAPA/Austroads WMA
Validation Trial (refer technologies highlighted in Table 1) or other
documented trials
7

Yes No
Yes
Low Performance Risk
(i.e. unrestricted usage)
Approval for use may be
granted by the Administrator.
i.e. referral to the Principal
not required.
High Performance Risk
Project level risk assessment required.
Approval for use shall be referred to the
Principal.8

Application
complies with
the
requirements
of Table 3
No High Performance Risk
Project level risk assessment
required. Approval for use
shall be referred to the
Principal
8.

Very High Performance Risk
Project level risk assessment required.
Approval for use shall be referred to the
Principal.8
2.3 Early Trafficking of WMA
For all mixes containing temperature reducing additives (except those that have a stiffening effect on
the mix such as Sasobit) the maximum temperature at the time of opening to trafficking (refer Clause
12.2.13 of MRTS30) shall be reduced from 65C to 60C.

7
Documented trials are trials undertaken on a heavily trafficked public road by any Australian state road authority
or local government, and the results of these trials:
are published in a publicly available technical report; and
demonstrate favourable performance.
The report should include, as a minimum, mix characterisation test results for the production mix and results of
in-field functional performance properties (such as visual condition, surface texture, rutting and roughness)
recorded after construction and over at least a two year period. The report should be submitted to the Principal
Advisor (Materials Testing) as part of the asphalt suppliers submission for mix design registration.
8
Where approval by the Principal is required, the proposed usage of WMA should be raised by the Contractor
during the tendering phase of the project. This ensures the Principal has sufficient lead time to assess the
Contractors proposal. Additional requirements, such as a longer than normal defects liability period (e.g. 2
years), may be nominated by the Principal following a risk assessment being undertaken.
Department of Transport and Main Roads November 2012
Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

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Table 3 Interim Limits for Unrestricted usage of WMA9
Pavement
Layer
Nominal Mix
Type / Size
Standard
10
Binder
Traffic Category
(refer Table 4)
C320 1
DG10
M1000/320 or A5S 3
C320 2
DG14
MRTS30
M1000/320 or A5S
DG14HP
3
DG14HS
MRTS31 A5S
5
SMA MRSS548 A5S, A10S 8
Surface
OGA MRTS30 A5S 5
DG10, DG14,
DG20
MRTS30 C320, M1000/320, A5S 3
DG14HP 4
Corrector
or
Binder
DG14HS
MRTS31 A5S
5
DG14, DG20,
DG28
MRTS30 C320 or C600 3
Base DG14HS
DG14HP
DG20HM
MRTS31 A5S or C600 5

Table 4 WMA Mix Design Traffic for Unrestricted usage (to be stated on the mix design
certificate)
Traffic Category
Maximum Design Traffic (ESA per day in the design lane in the year of
opening)

Free flowing traffic conditions High shear situations
11

1 300 300
2 1000 300
3 1000 1000
4 3000 1000
5 3000 3000

9
The applicable traffic category for a particular WMA technology and mix type may be varied by the Director
(Pavements & Materials) as performance information for WMA mixes and technologies becomes available.
10
For MRTS30 mixes that also comply with the requirements of MRTS31, the applicable MRTS31 traffic category
(refer Table 3 of this technical note) shall apply to the mix design.
11
An example of a high shear situation is a signalised intersection (including approaches).
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Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

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Traffic Category
Maximum Design Traffic (ESA per day in the design lane in the year of
opening)
6 No limit 3000
7 No limit No limit
8 Not applicable. Mix type is only used on a project specific trial basis.
3 MIX DESIGN REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
3.1 General
Mix designs containing additives shall be verified in accordance with the requirements of the relevant
TMR technical standard/s applicable to the asphalt type.
The mix conditioning procedures and compaction temperature for warm mix asphalt test specimens
are subject to considerable ongoing research and are being addressed at a national level
12
. In the
interim, the supplier shall submit test results
13
and technical data that demonstrate the appropriate
compaction temperature for Marshall Test specimens as part of their mix design submission. The
following compaction temperatures shall be used for preparation of specimens for the following tests
(as appropriate to the relevant technical standard):
Mix Design Registration:
a) For moisture sensitivity, wheel tracking, and resilient modulus testing, the standard
temperatures for HMA shall apply,
b) For voids at 250 cycles testing, the compaction temperature nominated by the Contractor for
Marshall Test specimens shall apply, and
c) For binder drainage testing, the test temperature shall be not less than the maximum asphalt
manufacturing temperature nominated by the Contractor.
14

Complete characterisation tests:
a) For all relevant complete characterisation tests, specimens shall be compacted at the
compaction temperature nominated by the Contractor for Marshall Test specimens.
For heavy duty asphalt mixes, wheel tracker testing shall also be completed with the mix design binder
and the mix shall comply with the requirements nominated in the footnote to Table 10.3.3.1 of
MRTS31.
Once the performance characteristics of asphalt mixes containing a particular WMA technology have
been established, the extent of testing required for mix design registration may be reduced at the
discretion of the Principal Advisor (Materials Testing).

12
AAPA national technical committee is developing an advisory note for laboratory compaction of WMA
specimens. Once the advisory note is released, TMR will consider adopting the AAPA recommendations in its
technical standards.
13
The test results shall demonstrate the compaction temperature required to achieve the same air voids in the
mix with the WMA technology as the mix compacted at the standard compaction temperature without the WMA
technology.
14
The maximum manufacturing temperature nominated by the Contractor shall not exceed the limits stated in the
relevant technical standard.
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Registration of Mix Designs for Asphalt Manufactured Using Warm Mix Technical Note 75

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3.2 WMA Additives that Stiffen the Mix
For WMA technologies that significantly stiffen the mix at in-service temperatures (such as SASOBIT
when added at high concentrations (> 1.5%)), a more detailed assessment of the mix properties and
their effect on the pavement design is recommended. Additional testing for properties such as resilient
modulus and fatigue will be required.
3.3 WMA Technologies that Cannot be Assessed by Laboratory Mix Testing
For WMA technologies, such as water-based binder foaming systems, where it is not practical to
produce laboratory mix, the mix design shall be assessed as a hot mix asphalt design in the
laboratory. However, wheel tracking and sensitivity to water of the mix shall be tested as part of the
production trial for MRTS31 and MRSS548 mix designs. Samples of production mix shall be
compacted in the laboratory as soon as possible but not more than 6 hours after the mix is
manufactured in the asphalt plant.
3.4 Moisture Content of WMA
Due to the lower production temperatures typically used for WMA and because water is used as part
of some WMA technologies, there is a greater potential for non-conformance with the production mix
moisture content requirement nominated in the technical standards (refer Clause 12.2.2.1 of
MRTS30). Moisture content testing shall be completed during the production trial (and at any other
time nominated by the Administrator).
3.5 Issuing of Asphalt Mix Design Registration Certificates
Mix designs that use WMA technologies shall be conditionally registered to the relevant TMR technical
standard in accordance with this technical note. The appropriate traffic category applicable to
unrestricted usage (low risk applications) shall be stated on the mix design certificate.
4 PROJECT EVALUATION AND POLICY REVIEW
Limited local performance information is currently available for WMA complying with TMR technical
standards. To assist with future updates of this technical note, Asphalt Suppliers, Project
Administrators and TMR Regions are encouraged to provide the following information to the Principal
Engineer (Road Surfacings):
Project location (road, chainage, etc)
Mix design information, including full details of the WMA technology used
Details of the layers within the pavement structure where WMA was used
Test results (production and construction compliance)
Regular measurements of performance (such as road surface shape (roughness and rutting),
surface texture depth, visual condition and skid resistance), and
Core logs (for cores extracted from the pavement not less than one year after construction) to
confirm structural integrity.
This technical note will be updated once sufficient local data has been accumulated to confirm the in-
service performance of WMA.
5 REFERENCES
Vuong B, Sharp K & Boer S, Review of Validation Trials of Warm Mix Asphalt Pavements, Draft
Report, Austroads Project TT1454, Austroads, Sydney, Australia, 2011 (Unpublished).

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