Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Test Methods For The Fracture And Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior Of Hot Mix Asphalts, Eduardo Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The service life and mechanical properties of bituminous mixtures are greatly affected by distress problems such as fracture, thermal cracking, and fatigue cracking of the asphalt layers. The fracture and fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of bituminous mixtures are difficult to quantify due to material-, test-, and equipment-related uncertainties. The goal of this study is to introduce a systematic fracture and fatigue crack growth testing approach for hot mix asphalts (HMAs). The objective is to experimentally evaluate the fracture resistance and fracture toughness behavior of a dense-graded HMA material at different temperatures and varying thicknesses. The effect of thickness on …