Chapter 2: Highway Materials

ASPHALT CONCRETE-Properties
Absorbed asphalt Water permeable porosity not
filled with absorbed asphalt
Aggregate

Aggregate volume
(bulk RD)

Effective
Air Void
asphalt binder
Aggregate volume
(effective RD)

Volume of
water Aggregate volume
permeable (effective RD)
porosity

Figure 2-3: Asphalt mixture showing net or effective asphalt,

absorbed asphalt and air voids (after Atkins, 2003)
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 VA

MBE VBE
MB VB
M V

MBA VBA
VMM

VG
VGE

Air (A)

Asphalt binder (B)

Aggregate (G)

Figure 2-4: Mass/volume relationship in asphalt mixes (after Atkins, 2003)

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M Total mass (= MG +MB)
MG Mass of aggregate
MB Mass of asphalt (binder) (= MBE + MBA)
MBE Mass of effective asphalt, the asphalt binder between particles
MBA Mass of absorbed, absorbed into the pores of the aggregate particles
V Total volume of the compacted mix
VG Volume of aggregate, the bulk volume including the aggregate pores
VBE Volume of effective asphalt
VBA Volume of absorbed asphalt
VB Volume of asphalt (= VBE + VBA)
VA Volume of air between the coated aggregate particles in the mix
VGE Effective volume of aggregate (= VG VBA)
VMM Volume voidless mix (minimum mix volume)

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Mass or volume relationships of the compacted specimen is
shown in Figure 2-4 and these relationships can be expressed
using the following equations.

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Example 1:

An asphalt concrete mix contains 2250 kg of aggregate

and 150 kg of asphalt binder per m3. Asphalt absorption
of the aggregates is 1.2%. The bulk relative density of
the aggregates is 2.67, and the relative density of the
asphalt is 1.05. Find:

(i) the density,

(ii) the asphalt content - total, effective, and absorbed
(iii)the air voids, VMA and VFA

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 Chapter 2: Highway Materials

Solution:
Assume, V = 1 m3
MBA = PBA x MG = 0.012 x 2250 = 27 kg
MBE = MB MBA = 150 27 = 123 kg
VG = MG/ (RDB(agg) x W)
= 2250/(2.67 x 1000) = 0.843 m3
VBE = MBE/ (RDB(asp) x W)
= 123 / (1.05 X 1000) = 0.117 m3
VA = V (VG + VBE)
= 1 (0.843 + 0.117) = 0.040 m3

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 Chapter 2: Highway Materials

Therefore:
PB = 150/2400 = 6.25%
PBE = 123/2400 = 5.12%
PBA = 27/2400 = 1.12%
= 2400/1 = 2400 kg/m3
AV = 0.040/1 = 4.0 %
VMA = (0.040 + 0.117)/1 = 15.7 %
VFA = 0.117 / (0.040 + 0.117) = 74.5%

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 Chapter 2: Highway Materials

Exercise (try this!)

Given;
= 2440 kg/m3
PB = 5.8%
Asp. Abs = 0.8%
RDB(agg) = 2.67
RD (asp) = 1.03
Find; AV, VMA and VFA