Materials

Pavements are a conglomeration of materials. These materials, their associated properties, and their interactions determine the properties of the resultant pavement. Thus, a good understanding of these materials, how they are characterized and how they perform, is fundamental to understanding pavement.

This section will emphasize what each material is, how it is characterized and the typical tests used in this characterization. This section is meant to provide an overview of these materials and as such, provides limited in-depth technical analysis. Where needed, the generic term “binder” is used to refer to either the asphalt binder in HMA or the portland cement paste in PCC.

Publications Cited

  • Asphalt Institute. (2002). 2001 Asphalt Usage Survey. Asphalt Institute. Lexington, KY.
  • Asphalt Institute. (1962). The Asphalt Handbook. Manual Series No. 4 (MS-4). Asphalt Institute. Lexington, KY.
  • National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA). (2002). What is NSSGA? From the NSSGA Web site. http://www.nssga.org/whoweare. Accessed 19 July 2002.