The design of bituminous mixes

Development of the mix design principles that apply today started in the 1960s and has continued ever since.
The mix design process consists of a series of compromises, as the behaviour of the mix oscillatres between sensitivity to permanent deformations and fatigue cracking or aggregate stripping.

The purpose of mix design is to decide on the proportioning of the various constituents that is able to guarantee satisfactory service properties throughout the life of the pavement.

The results of laboratory tests provide indicators about future in-service properties.

The mix design process for hydrocarbon mixes can therefore be broken down into thress main chronological phases:

• selection and identification of the constituents

• development of mix

• mix design test

The mix design test provides information about the performance of the mix, the nature and proportion of each constituent and the grading curve.

To find out