Prediction of Remaining Service Life of Asphalt Pavement Using Dissipated Energy Method

The efficient maintenance and repair of asphalt pavements requires accurate prediction of their remaining service life. This study proposes a damage model for asphalt mixtures based on dissipated energy. Repeated indirect tensile tests (ITTs) are conducted on asphalt mixtures of different ages to determine the damage accumulation based on the dissipated energy in each loading cycle. The results show low scattering and high sensitivity to aging times, and an exponential curve fits the relationship between the dissipated energy of the asphalt mixtures and the loading cycles at different aging times. A damage model of the asphalt mixtures is then developed considering the dissipated energy, and it is verified using asphalt mixtures of different ages and loading repetitions. To evaluate the remaining service life of asphalt pavements, similar ITTs are conducted on specimens cored from Nanjing Airport Expressway to determine the parameters in the damage model. The model is then used to estimate the remaining service life of the asphalt pavement in that road.