Consideration of Major Distress Mechanisms and Material Characterization for Asphalt Pavements

The different types of distresses have been presented in Chapter 11. The major distresses are considered in the mix and structural design of asphalt mixes. This consideration consists of three basic parts: explaining and formulating the problem, conducting appropriate tests to determine the relevant material properties (characterization), and using models to relate the amount/extent of distress to the relevant material properties, and hence predict the distress. All of these three parts are presented in the following sections.