ABSTRACT
Reflective cracking is one of the major type of distresses associated with the use of asphalt concrete (AC) overlays for rehabilitating deteriorated asphalt pavements. This paper briefly describes the research effort completed to evaluate the reflective cracking performance life of high polymer-modified (HP) AC mixtures used as overlays. Sixteen AC mixtures were produced in the laboratory using conventional polymer modified (PMA) and HP asphalt binders. These mixtures were evaluated in terms of their dynamic modulus and resistance to reflective cracking. The engineering property and laboratory performance data were combined into a mechanistic analysis that took into consideration the existing AC pavement condition, mix-specific material properties, traffic condition, and climate. Overall, the HP AC mixes resulted in an increase in both time to reach initial cracking and reflective cracking performance life of the AC overlay when compared to their respective PMA AC overlay mixes.
