ABSTRACT
The objective of the study was to evaluate stone matrix asphalt (SMA) and hot mix asphalt (HMA) rutting performance using accelerated pavement testing (APT) and the Hamburg wheel track test (HWTT) and to understand how their performance relates to rutting predictions obtained from the PavementME. To do this, rutting results from a recent APT study that analyzed the performance of both SMA and HMA in a typical Indiana full-depth pavement structure were compared to HWTT and PavementME rutting results. It was found that both the APT and HWTT provide clear distinctions between the SMA and HMA mixtures and both showed trends of relative rutting resistance. Results also indicate the HWTT and APT outcomes are not comparable in magnitude. This could be explained by the HWTT having a testing environment that is more aggressive than the APT. PavementME predictions were comparable to total pavement rutting measurements from the APT, but the software was not capable of identifying the superior rutting performance of SMA.
