Field Monitoring of the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Warm-Mix Asphalt (WMA) Site in Oklahoma

Abstract

As Warm-Mix Asphalt (WMA) moves into mainstream use, the lower WMA production temperature and injection of water in some WMA technologies have raised concerns on how it may affect short- and long-term field performance over the design life. Under the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Specific Pavement Study 10 (SPS-10) experiment initiative, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) constructed six testing sections with five different WMA methodologies and one HMA control section. This paper presents the application of several art-of-the-state high speed instruments to collect comprehensive array of pavement performance data for long term performance monitoring of this site. The newly developed 3D laser imaging technology is used to collect 1mm 3D surface data for the evaluation of pavement surface distress and transverse profiling for rutting. Longitudinal profiling for roughness and macro-texture for safety are acquired via a high speed inertial profiler, while pavement friction is continuously collected using a Grip Tester. Four data collection events have been performed since the construction of the site. Data collected on the WMA sections and the control HMA section are compared and evaluated for surface performance deterioration. It is demonstrated that the WMA sites using various technologies exhibit better or comparable performance relative to the conventional HMA, in terms of pavement cracking, rutting, and roughness. Aggregate properties and mixture design significantly impact the pavement macro-texture and skid resistance properties.