ABSTRACT
Structural design of asphalt pavements can be done primarily in two ways—either through the use of charts and nomographs that have been developed on the basis of experiments and/or experience, or part through the use of principles of mechanics and part through results obtained from experiments and/or experience mechanistic-empirical (ME). The test determines the ratio of weight in air of a compacted asphalt mix specimen at a certain temperature to the weight of an equal volume of water at the same temperature. The Asphalt Institute procedure contains multilayer elastic theory; is built on the basis of data from the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Road Test, the Western Association of State Highway Organizations (WASHO) Road Test, and other different state and local road tests; and considers rutting and fatigue cracking as the distresses. The mix is compacted with a gyratory compactor and the asphalt content is determined form the criteria of volumetric properties.
