This laboratory manual presents Superpave mix design system in a complete, step-by-step format. It is intended for engineers and technicians in public and private organizations to use when designing paving mixes for all classes of highways, from farm-to-market roads to urban freeways. An essential companion to this manual is "The Superpave Mix Design System Manual of Specifications, Test Methods and Practices." The Superpave software program--"The Superpave Specification, Mix Design and Support Program"--And its users manual are also necessary to take full advantage of the mix design system.

The final product of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) Asphalt Research Program is the SUPERPAVE (registered trademark) mix design system for new construction and overlays. This system employs a series of new performance-based specifications, test methods, and practices for material selection, accelerated performance testing, and mix design. This report documents these new specifications and procedures in a format suitable for eventual American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standardization.

This guide reviews the way asphalt mixture can be specified, with particular emphasis on the test methods used to measure performance. The advantages and limitations of the tests are described for measuring the desired property, and engineers can specify a test according to the material’s use. The book starts with a resume of specifications and their relative advantages and disadvantages for different situations. Then different properties are discussed in terms of: their specification; the test methods that can be used (primarily the EN 12697 suite of European methods, of which the author has been responsible for drafting); the extent to which the results predict performance; the levels that can be achieved with different asphalt mixes and types; what levels, if any, should be specified in various situations and pavement layers; and which other properties are adversely affected by enhanced performance. The final section covers various aspects of sustainability, with a strong emphasis on durability. Better understanding should enable clients and consultants who specify pavements to produce durable asphalt pavements more economically, and also help asphalt producers and students trying to understand the black art of asphalt.