Vipul Chitnis, Mayank Sukhija, Erdem Coleri
The volumetric mix design methods are not sufficient to address the complex nature of today’s asphalt mixtures. Hence, it is essential to incorporate performance tests in the asphalt mix design process. Integrating these tests requires the development of asphalt mixtures performance thresholds. In this study, five construction projects were selected for field pilot sections to test the performance thresholds, and the proposed Balanced Mix Design (BMD) method developed for Oregon. The objective is to compare the performance of asphalt pavements designed using volumetric, and BMD approaches in the laboratory and field. Testing the production mixes revealed that four of the five projects designed with the BMD exhibited superior cracking performance than volumetric mixes. Despite all mix designs passing the cracking thresholds in the laboratory, four projects failed to meet these standards with plant-produced mixes. Nevertheless, pavement management system data revealed the similarity in the pavement segments produced with volumetric and BMD approaches in terms of rut depth and surface roughness. Notably, the rutting resistance of all the BMD mixes was excessive, necessitating a need to increase the BMD rut depth thresholds to soften the asphalt mix and improve the cracking resistance of the asphalt mixtures in Oregon, United States.