Quality Control of Bituminous Mixtures Through the Indirect Tensile Strength Test. Experiences in Spain and Argentina

Abstract

Quality Control of Hot Mix Asphalt Production in both Argentina and Spain is carried out by evaluating the mixture composition and the parameters obtained according to the Marshall method. Once the asphalt mix is placed and compacted, quality control consists of extracting core samples to determine their thickness and density. This methodology, however, does not take into account the mechanical performance parameters of the asphalt layer once it has been executed.

For this reason, a research project has been developed at the Roads Laboratory of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, based on the application of the Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) test on core samples extracted from the pavement. Based on the results obtained, an acceptance criterion for bituminous mixtures has been proposed that allows for the evaluation of their mechanical quality, not merely their compaction.

Currently, a study is being conducted at the Pavement and Road Engineering Laboratory of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, in collaboration with the Transportation Infrastructure Area of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue, aimed at assessing the potential implementation of this method in Argentina.

This paper presents the aforementioned proposal and provides an analysis of the results obtained in both countries.