Strength Criterion of Asphalt Mixtures in Three-Dimensional Stress States under Freeze-Thaw Conditions

• Main Authors: Tuo Huang, Shuai Qi, Ming Yang, Songtao Lv, Hongfu Liu, Jianlong Zheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-08-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: asphalt mixtures; three-dimensional stress states; freeze-thaw cycles; triaxial strength; failure criterion
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/8/1302

In order to study the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the multi-axial strength of AC (Asphalt Concrete)-13 and SMA (Stone Mastic Asphalt)-13 asphalt mixtures which are widely used in China, triaxial tests were carried out in the laboratory. Two nonlinear failure criterions under three-dimensional stress states in octahedral space were established. A linear model for engineering design and its simplified testing method were then presented. The three-dimensional failure criteria of asphalt mixtures after 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 freeze-thaw cycles were also proposed. The results indicated that the multi-axial strength decayed significantly after 20 freeze-thaw cycles. It is noteworthy that the strength degrades rapidly during the first 5 freeze-thaw cycles. Compared with AC-13 asphalt mixture, the SMA-13 asphalt mixture exhibits better performance on the resistance to freeze-thaw damage, and it is recommended as the upper surface layer material of pavement structure.