Caution of Indirect Tensile Strength-Only Specifications for Asphalt Mixes
SUMMARY
Indirect tensile strength at 25 ° C can be a misleading property for asphalt mixtures and yet it is used sometimes to describe a mixture’s performance. While indirect tensile strength test at 25 ° C is sensitive to changes in mixture properties such as air voids, asphalt binder content, binder grade, aggregate properties (angularity, texture, etc.), the resulting indirect tensile strength does not always equate to positive field results. In other words, high tensile strength alone does not always relate to improved cracking resistance. Other cracking tests are discussed that will provide better, field correlated, data rather than relying on a single strength property such as indirect tensile strength to define mixture performance.
