Fatigue in asphalt mixtures – a summary to understand the complexity of its mathematical modeling

Abstract

Based on the reviewed literature in relation to the phenomenon of fatigue in asphalt mixtures, the foregoing paper depicts and describes in summary, the main variables that impact in the generation of said phenomenon in asphalt pavements. This has the purpose of showing its complexity to mathematically model it. As a general conclusion obtained in the study, it was found that the calibration difficulty of the models is mainly since the mathematical equations must be in capacity of considering that fatigue resistance of asphalt mixtures depends on load mode (stress-controlled or strain- controlled), the type of load (haversine or sinusoidal) and the rest periods to which laboratory samples are subjected. Additionally, both in situ, as within the laboratory, this varies with stiffness, volumetric composition (type and content of asphalt and aggregate), the geometry of samples, with effects associated to mix durability and environmental conditions, with the type of test, border conditions and support layers (base, subbase, subgrade). If these physical parameters are not considered, the mathematical equations lose reliability.