Laboratory Investigation of the Fracture Toughness of Hot Mix Asphalt at Low Temperatures

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, 1996715433, Iran.

2 School of Industrial Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Asphalt pavements in cold regions are significantly affected by damage resulting from freeze-thaw cycles, which reduce their resistance to fail-ure. In this study, the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the fracture tough-ness of water-saturated asphalt mixtures was investigated. After saturat-ing SCB specimens, the specimens were subjected to a maximum of 11 freeze-thaw cycles at various temperatures (−5°C, −10°C, −15°C, −20°C, and −22°C). The tests were conducted in a combined tensile-shear loading mode with a higher tensile component (Me = 0.8). The results showed that the stress intensity factors significantly decreased with an increasing number of cycles up to the seventh cycle, after which no substantial reduction was observed. Additionally, the highest frac-ture strength was recorded at −15°C, while lower temperatures led to decreased strength due to the formation of microcracks caused by bi-tumen shrinkage. Accordingly, for pavement design in cold climates, the seventh freeze-thaw cycle is recommended as the critical condition for design considerations.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 December 2025

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