A novel procedure for the evaluation of anti-rutting potential of asphalt binders

Asphalt binders play an important role in the rutting performance of road pavements, and therefore their characterisation is crucial in preventing this type of distress. Several studies have been carried out to replace the G*/sin δ Superpave criteria which were found to be inadequate to capture the anti-rutting potential of these materials. In this paper, a novel testing procedure combining single creep-recovery and multiple stress creep (MSC) tests is proposed. Five asphalt binders of different type and origin were considered. For comparison purposes, two available standard methods, based on low shear viscosity and MSC recovery tests, were included in the study. The obtained experimental results indicated the effectiveness of the test method in highlighting fundamental material properties related to rutting, overcoming some of the drawbacks of existing standard protocols.