The objective of this study was to assess the low temperature anti-cracking performance of crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures by performing the semi-circular bending tests. The flexural tensile strength, fracture energy density, and fracture resistance were used to evaluate the rubber modified asphalt mixture's performance based on fracture mechanics J-integral concept. The semi-circular bending (SCB) tests were conducted to study the effect of crumb rubber dosage, crumb rubber size, and testing temperature on the low temperature anti-cracking performance of rubber modified asphalt mixtures. Two gradations (a dense gradation mixture and a gap-gradation mixture) were selected, and five rubber application dosages (15, 18, 20, 22, and 25 %, all by the weight of base binder) were studied in the paper. The tests were performed at temperatures of 0, -10, and -20°C. The testing results indicated that the flexural tensile strength and fracture energy density increased initially, reached to a peak point and then decreased with the increase of rubber dosage. Flexural tensile strength and fracture energy density reached its maximum value at the 20 % rubber dosage among the five rubber application dosages. The flexural tensile strength, fracture energy density, and the J-integral fracture toughness of the gap-graded rubber asphalt mixture specimens were higher than those of the dense gradation. The smaller sized particle rubber modified mixture provided a better low temperature anti-cracking performance as compared to those with bigger particle sizes. Through the comprehensive consideration of laboratory test results and field results, it was recommended that the J-integral fracture toughness should be no less than 2.8 KJ/m2 for new asphalt rubber pavement in Shannxi province.

This book discusses the applications of fracture mechanics in the design and maintenance of asphalt concrete overlays. It provides useful information to help readers understand the effects of different material and loading type parameters on the fracture properties of asphalt concretes. It also reviews relevant numerical and experimental studies, and describes in detail design parameters such as aggregate type, air void, loading mode, and additives, based on the authors experience and that of other researchers.

This paper investigates the performance of crumb-rubber-modified (CRM) asphalt mixture. Two different asphalt mixtures containing two types of asphalt binder (#90 original asphalt and CRM asphalt) were used to prepare Marshall specimens and determine optimum asphalt content. Mechanical performances of asphalt mixes were evaluated by the wheel rutting test (WRT) (dynamic stability (DS)), midpoint beam bend test (MBBT), at low temperature, and indirect tensile test (IDT), at the freezing and thawing cycle. Superpave gyratory compactor (SGC) specimens were also prepared for the modulus test. Using the simple performance test (SPT) and universal testing system (UTS), viscoelastic mechanical characteristics were evaluated by static and dynamic modulus tests. Static modulus (E) data were measured by the un-confinement uniaxial compression test according to the specification of China. Moreover, dynamic modulus (E0) data were obtained by SPT. The crumb-rubber content varies from 0, 10 %, 20 %, to 30 % at the static modulus test. Two test temperatures were selected for the dynamic modulus test. The results indicated that the CRM asphalt mixture performs better than the standard asphalt mixture on dynamic behavior, rutting resistance, cracking resistance, and moisture stability.

Green and Intelligent Technologies for Sustainable and Smart Asphalt Pavements contains 124 papers from 14 different countries which were presented at the 5th International Symposium on Frontiers of Road and Airport Engineering (IFRAE 2021, Delft, the Netherlands, 12-14 July 2021). The contributions focus on research in the areas of "Circular, Sustainable and Smart Airport and Highway Pavement" and collects the state-of-the-art and state-of-practice areas of long-life and circular materials for sustainable, cost-effective smart airport and highway pavement design and construction. The main areas covered by the book include: • Green and sustainable pavement materials • Recycling technology • Warm & cold mix asphalt materials • Functional pavement design • Self-healing pavement materials • Eco-efficiency pavement materials • Pavement preservation, maintenance and rehabilitation • Smart pavement materials and structures • Safety technology for smart roads • Pavement monitoring and big data analysis • Role of transportation engineering in future pavements Green and Intelligent Technologies for Sustainable and Smart Asphalt Pavements aims at researchers, practitioners, and administrators interested in new materials and innovative technologies for achieving sustainable and renewable pavement materials and design methods, and for those involved or working in the broader field of pavement engineering.

The design and construction of “long and deep” tunnels, i.e. tunnels under mountains, characterised by either considerable length and/or overburden, represent a considerable challenge. The scope of this book is not to instruct how to design and construct such tunnels but to share a method to identify the potential hazards related to the process of designing and constructing long and deep tunnels, to produce a relevant comprehensive analysis and listing, to quantify the probability and consequences, and to design proper mitigation measures and countermeasures. The design, developed using probabilistic methods, is verified during execution by means of the so called Plan for Advance of the Tunnel (PAT) method, which allows adapting the design and control parameters of the future stretches of the tunnel to the results of the stretches already finished, using the monitoring data base. Numerous criteria are given to identify the key parameters, necessary for the PAT procedure. Best practices of excavation management with the help of real time monitoring and control are also provided. Furthermore cost and time evaluation systems are analysed. Finally, contractual aspects related to construction by contract are investigated, for best development and application of models more appropriate for tunnelling-construction contracts. The work will be of interest to practising engineers, designers, consultants and students in mining, underground, tunnelling, transportation and construction engineering, as well as to foundation and geological engineers, urban planners/developers and architects.

Cracking in asphalt pavements is a challenging problem and has been the subject of numerous research studies for decades. To properly address this problem, suitable tests must be conducted to capture material behavior in cracking, such testing must be accompanied by proper mechanistic and empirical modeling of the material behavior in cracking. For mixture design and material quality control/assurance purposes, there is not a commonly accepted protocol for testing asphalt mixtures for cracking resistance characterization, due to variability of test results, non-uniformity in test specimens, and overall complexities of the tests that prevent them from being adopted for daily uses. On the other hands, for the tests that are popular for research purposes, the validity and sensitivity of such tests have not been fully witnessed and proven, due to lack of data quantity. Addressing these problems will help improve mixture design procedures and advance quality control and quality assurance of asphalt mixes, especially when complicated components, such as recycled materials and performance enhancing additives, are commonly incorporated into asphalt concrete nowadays. The overall goal of this research is to characterize the cracking resistance of various types of asphalt concrete mixes via a suitable candidate test. An additional goal is to provide guidelines for performing balanced mixture design on asphalt concrete with virgin and recycled materials when using such a test. Throughout the research, the selected fracture test, namely the semi-circular bend (SCB) fracture test, was first evaluated by investigating the sensitivity of performance indicators under various test conditions and proposing the most appropriate test conditions using a solid theoretical background. Then, the test was used to study fracture behavior of a wide range of asphalt paving materials including, but not limited to, various virgin asphalt mixes, crumb rubber modified (CRM) asphalt mixes, asphalt mixes with recycled materials such as reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), together with asphalt mixes with recycling agents. Not only were these mixtures prepared in a single laboratory, specimens received from different laboratories and plants were also included in the test matrix to reduce bias and to investigate the variation of the performance indicators. Additionally, a method to conduct the performance-based balanced-design using only the SCB fracture test was explored. Finally, the effect of long-term aging on fracture behavior of asphalt mixes was investigated, in order to build foundations for performance prediction commonly used in asphalt pavement design procedures. The main contributions of this study are: 1) verification of the sensitivity of the SCB test using asphalt mixtures with controlled variables under the proposed test conditions that are suitable to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2) investigation of the impacts of material variables and conditioning, namely aging process, on fracture behavior of asphalt concretes, 3) exploration of possibility of performing balanced mixture design on asphalt concrete using the SCB test as a stand-alone test. The SCB fracture test procedure is found to be suitable to qualify asphalt mixes to fulfill different traffic demands and pavement structural conditions. Reliable mix design and quality assurance of asphalt pavements with complicated rehabilitation histories and sophisticated material compositions can be performed with confidence using such a test.