Gravedad Especifica Bulk

STATE O F TENNESSEE


DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION


BULK S P E C I F I C GRAVITY OF COMPACTED
BITUMINOUS MIXTURES:
F I N D I N G A MORE WIDELY APPICABLE METHOD

F INAL REPORT

P r o j e c t Number TNSPR-RES1153
p repared by:
L. K . Crouch
~ a n i e A. Badoe
l
Mark Cates
T. Adam Borden
Audrey R. copeland
c. odd wal ker
T im Dunn
~ i c h a r d Maxwell
A.
W. A . GoodwinTennessee ~ e c h n o l o g i
cal u n i v e r s i t y

July 2003

p repared f o r :
Tennessee Department o f ran sport at ion
I n cooperation w i t h
U .S. Department o f Transportation
Federal Highway Admini s t r a t i o n

Technical R e ~ o r Documentation Page
t
3. Recipient's Catalog No.

2. Government Accession No.

I . Report No.

(TNSPR) RES 1153
4 . Title and Subtitle5. Report Date

Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Bituminous Mixtures: Finding A
More Widely Applicable Method

6. Performing Organization Code

8 . Performing Organization Report No.

K. Crouch, Daniel A. Badoe, Mark Cates, T. Adam
Borden, Audrey R . Copeland, C. Todd Walker, Tim Durn, Richard A.

Maxwell, and William A. Goodwin


7. ~uthor(s) .
L

10. Work Unit No.(TRAIS)


9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Center for Electric Power

Box 5032, Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN 38505-0001

I I . Contract or Grant No.


CUT 199


12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Materials and Tests Division
Tennessee Department of Transportation
6601 Centennial Blvd. Nashville, TN37243-0360

January 2, 1999 to April 30,2003
14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes
16. Abstract
AASHTO T-I66 Standard Soecification for Bulk Soecific Gravih. of Comoacted Bituminous Mixtures Usine Saturated
specimen surface increases. water penetrates further into the specimen. Water penetration into compacted hot-mix asphalt (HMA)
samoles introduced only small errors inDercent air voids determination when dense-graded, well-compacted HMA mixtures were used
exciusively. Hawever. design innovations such as Superpave. stone matrix asphalt &MA), open-gsaded friction courses (OGFC) and
large-stone mixes (LSM) as well as construction problems such as inadequately compacted conventional I IMA mixtures have made the
limitations o f AASHTO T-I66 more apparent.
Theultimate goal of the project was to develop a new method, or adapt a current method. for determining bulk specific gravity
(G,& of compacted HMA mimres with wide applicability The method must be repeatable and applicable to laboratory or field specimens
Dercent air
for a wide varieh, a f mixture h roa A more reliable G+ would result in more reliable HMA valumettic orooerties. scec~ficallv

goal).The project goal was accomplished in three steps. In s@ I , a literature review and s u ~ e of state depanments of transportation
y
research team developed concepts for huo new methods. The TDUI'
revealed thirteen existing G,* determination techniques. In addition. #he
Monitoring Committee selected the seven most promising methods for fulther study. In step 2, a feasibility sNdy using tencompacted HMA
samples was condu~7rdon the seven selected methods to evaluate cost, logisticill faders, and preliminary repeatability. The 700T
Monitoring Committee selected the Tour most pramislng methods for further study. h the final step. lifly compacted HMA samples and four
aluminum cylinders were used to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the four selected methads.
The dimensionalanalysis (AASHTO T-269) and Ule pamfilm (ASTM D 1188) methods were found to form upper bounds for true
sample air voids, while the SSD (AASHTO 1-166) method wss found to form a lower bound for true air voids. Although the true air voids
can never be determined, the lnsuotek Corelok System yields air void results in the rangc hetwecn the upper and lower bounds Tor m c air
voids. Finally, the...