Asphalt Compaction Study

ABSTRACT Asphalt mixtures compaction is considered to be one of the most important factors that influence bituminous layers durability. However, it is still not clear how compaction should be carried out. In this paper a numerical tool, based on the Distinct Element Method (DEM), is developed and applied to asphalt compaction studies. Asphalt mixtures were modelled in 2D as an assemblage of circular rigid particles that interact with each other at soft contact points. The methodology was applied to three asphalt mixtures with different compactabilities: Asphalt Concrete 0/16 and 0/5, and Porous Asphalt 0/8. It is shown a good agreement between the static compaction laboratory tests results and the results obtained with the proposed numerical model. Despite the 2D limitations, the obtained results clearly indicate the viability of the proposed numerical tool.