Asphalt Road Show - Asphalt 101

One section of this class will introduce you to asphalt and aggregate materials used in asphalt mix designs. You willl learn about proper handling, and testing of asphalt and aggregate materials, and how their properties impact asphalt pavement performance. The second section will provide you with a basic working knowledge of how the major componenets of an Asphalt Plant operates, Paving Operations and Mechanics of Compaction. Students will learn how proper handling, storage, and blending of raw materials at the asphalt plant impacts the performance of asphalt pavements. PDH certificates will be sent out to the email provided at registration. What is Balanced Mix Design? Balanced Mix Design (BMD) is defined as “asphalt mix design using performance tests on appropriately conditioned specimens that address multiple modes of distress taking into consideration mix aging, traffic, climate and location within the pavement structure” per AASHTO PP 105-20. This definition was initially established by the former Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Expert Task Group (ETG) Balanced Mix Design Task Force in 2015. Why is Balanced Mix Design Needed? ENSURE PERFORMANCE Concerns with durability and cracking issues of asphalt pavements along with the growing awareness of the shortcomings of volumetric mix design systems have driven many SHAs and the asphalt pavement industry to explore the use of BMD as a better approach to evaluate a mixture resistance to common distresses for asphalt mix design approval and production acceptance. ENABLE INNOVATION BMD offers a better way to evaluate the impact of mix design variables such as recycled materials, recycling agents, and other innovative additives by testing the composite mixture for resistance to cracking, rutting, and moisture damage. As the industry puts more emphasis on sustainability and decarbonization, BMD will be the foundation to ensure that new paving mixtures will provide equal or better field performance. ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION BMD allows for the optimization of mixes in terms of cost-effective material use (e.g., binders, aggregates, recycled materials, additives, etc.) and performance. Mix designers will be able to take a fresh look at local materials, binders, and additives and assess what combinations of materials provide the expected resistance to distresses at the lowest cost. Mix designers will have the means to truly evaluate how changing mix components and percentages will affect costs and performance.