ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) design for commercial airports in the United States (U.S.) is performed in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5370-10F, “Standards for Specifying Construction of Airports,” Item P-401-Plant Mix Bituminous Pavements. Currently, P-401 asphalt material is designed using the Marshall mix design procedure and has performed satisfactorily. In 2006, the FAA started a research study to develop an updated P-401 specification based upon Superpave technology. The first phase of the study determined number of gyrations required to produce similar volumetrics as a 75-blow Marshall mix design. The study concluded that mix compacted to 70 gyrations in a gyratory compactor produced a mix with similar volumetric properties to that designed using 75-blow Marshall mix design procedure. The second phase of the study concentrated on laboratory performance tests to be included in the updated P-401 specifications. Performance tests included modified Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) tests, high temperature Indirect tensile Test (IDT), flow number tests, and fatigue tests. This paper will summarize the results from Phase-I and present Phase-II results in detail.
