Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 1250-5 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. 5. Report Date January 20004. Title and Subtitle MIXING AND COMPACTION TEMPERATURES FOR HOT MIX ASPHALT CONCRETE6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) Yetkin Yildirim, Mansour Solaimanian, and Thomas W. Kennedy8. Performing Organization Report No. 1250-5 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 9. Performing Organization Name and Address Center for Transportation Research The University of Texas at Austin 3208 Red River, Suite 200 Austin, TX 78705-2650 11. Contract or Grant No. 0-1250 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Research Report (9/98 — 8/99) 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Texas Department of Transportation Research and Technology Transfer Section/Construction Division P.O. Box 5080 Austin, TX 78763-5080 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes Project conducted in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. 16. Abstract According to Superpave mixture design, gyratory specimens are mixed and compacted at equiviscous binder temperatures corresponding to viscosities of 0.17 and 0.28 Pa s, respecti vely. These were the valuespreviously used in the Marshal mix design method to determine the mixing and compaction te mperatures. In order to estimate the appropriate mixing and compaction temperatures for Superpave mixture design, a temperature- viscosity relationship for the binder should be developed (ASTM D 2493 , Calculation of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures). This approach is simple and provides reasonable temperatures for unmodified binders. However, some modified binders have exhibited unreasonably high temperatures for mixing and compaction using this technique. These high temperatures could result in construction problems, asphalt damage, and fume production. ASTM D 2493 was established for unmodified asphalt binders, which are Newtonian fluids at high temperatures. For these material s, viscosity does not depend on shear rate. However, most of the modified as phalt binders exhibit a phenomenon known as pseudoplasticity,in which viscosity depends on shea r rate. Thus, at the high shear rates that occur during mixing and compaction, it is not necessary to use very high temperatures. A research study was undertaken to determine the shear rate during compaction so that the effect of this parameter could be included during viscosity meas urements. The use of prac tical shea r rate results in reasonable mixing and compaction temperatures for hot mix a sphalt design and construction with modified asphalt binders. It was found that application of the shear rate concept rather than the traditional approach used for unmodified binders can reduce the mixing and compaction temperatures between roughly 14 to 38 C for the former and 10 to 27 C for the latter, depending on the type and the amount of modifier. 17. Key Words Superpave, asphalt pavements, shear rate, mixing and compaction temperature 18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is a vailable to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. 19. Security Classif. (of report) Unclassified 20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified 21. No. of pages 100 22. Price Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized