New ASTM Standard to evaluate Fatigue Cracking in Roads
ASTM International’s road and pavement committee (D04) has approved a new standard that will allow those in the road construction industry to extend the service life of asphalt mixtures by more accurately predicting and evaluating fatigue performance.
According to ASTM member M. Emin Kutay, the new standard (D8458) will be used to assess the resistance of different types of asphalt mixtures to fatigue cracks in road surfaces.
“Fatigue cracking occurs due to repeated heavy truck loading,” says Kutay, a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Michigan State University. “This standard will help design better asphalt mixture ingredients to improve asphalt pavement service life.”
Kutay says that the standard will help regulatory bodies assess the resistance of various types of asphalt mixtures to fatigue cracking. Agencies can make performance-based decisions on types of materials to be used in asphalt pavement to increase service life and reduce life cycle cost.
This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure.
ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.
