Effects of Short-Term Aging on the Compactibility and Volumetric Properties of Asphalt Mixtures Using the Response Surface Method

Several factors affect asphalt binder and mixture characteristics. This makes pavement performance assessment a mounting task. This paper evaluates the effects of short-term aging on compactibility and volumetric properties of asphalt mixtures using the Response Surface Method (RSM). Three different binders were utilized to produce mixtures (type AC-14). Aging temperature, aging duration, and duration in a climate chamber with increased humidity and ultraviolet lighting were considered as independent variables (IV), while compactibility and volumetric properties were regarded as dependent variables (DV). The findings revealed significant impacts of aging temperature and duration on compactibility, air voids, voids in mineral aggregate, and voids filled with asphalt, while duration in the climate chamber exhibited no significant influence on the DVs. The effects of IVs on DVs varied by binder type. This was achieved through an elaborate statistical analysis. The study, finally, demonstrates the RSM’s potential to predict changes in responses from mathematical equations—converging with the experimental observation—with excellent accuracy. Potentially, pavement contractors can use this method by replacing haulage duration and mixtures’ temperatures during paving in the developed models. It enables them to predict the pavement density and adjust pressure as well as the number of roller passes to achieve the desired requirements.