Understanding the effects of ageing and temperature on the fatigue cracking resistance of bituminous mixtures

Abstract

Bituminous mixtures are visco-elastic materials whose mechanical performance is highly influenced by temperature. In addition, during their service life, these type of materials suffer an ageing process which induce an increase in bitumen viscosity and therefore, a variation in the response of the mixture. The changes produced by these phenomena are mainly manifested in terms of stiffness, which could exert a considerable influence on the fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt materials. In this respect, this paper attempts to provide a better understanding of the effects caused by temperature and ageing on the resistance of bituminous mixtures to the propagation of cracking phenomena. For this purpose, the rheological response of the binder has been correlated with the mechanical performance offered by the bituminous mixture.