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NATIONAL
NCHRP REPORT 547
COOPERATIVE
HIGHWAY
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Simple Performance Tests:
Summary of Recommended
Methods and Database
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2005 (Membership as of August 2005)
OFFICERS
Chair: John R. Njord, Executive Director, Utah DOT
Vice Chair: Michael D. Meyer, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Executive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
MEMBERS
MICHAEL W. BEHRENS, Executive Director, Texas DOT
ALLEN D. BIEHLER, Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT
LARRY L. BROWN, SR., Executive Director, Mississippi DOT
DEBORAH H. BUTLER, Vice President, Customer Service, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Subsidiaries, Atlanta, GA
ANNE P. CANBY, President, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, DC
JOHN L. CRAIG, Director, Nebraska Department of Roads
DOUGLAS G. DUNCAN, President and CEO, FedEx Freight, Memphis, TN
NICHOLAS J. GARBER, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
ANGELA GITTENS, Vice President, Airport Business Services, HNTB Corporation, Miami, FL
GENEVIEVE GIULIANO, Director, Metrans Transportation Center, and Professor, School of Policy, Planning, and Development,
USC, Los Angeles
BERNARD S. GROSECLOSE, JR., President and CEO, South Carolina State Ports Authority
SUSAN HANSON, Landry University Professor of Geography, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University
JAMES R. HERTWIG, President, CSX Intermodal, Jacksonville, FL
GLORIA J. JEFF, Director, Michigan DOT
ADIB K. KANAFANI, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
HERBERT S. LEVINSON, Principal, Herbert S. Levinson Transportation Consultant, New Haven, CT
SUE MCNEIL, Director and Professor, Urban Transportation Center, University of Illinois, Chicago
MICHAEL MORRIS, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments
CAROL A. MURRAY, Commissioner, New Hampshire DOT
MICHAEL S. TOWNES, President and CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA
C. MICHAEL WALTON, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
LINDA S. WATSON, Executive Director, LYNX--Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority
MARION C. BLAKEY, Federal Aviation Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN, Federal Railroad Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
REBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA (ex officio)
GEORGE BUGLIARELLO, Chancellor, Polytechnic University, and Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering (ex officio)
THOMAS H. COLLINS (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard (ex officio)
JENNIFER L. DORN, Federal Transit Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
JAMES J. EBERHARDT, Chief Scientist, Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy (ex officio)
EDWARD R. HAMBERGER, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads (ex officio)
JOHN C. HORSLEY, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ex officio)
JOHN E. JAMIAN, Acting Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
EDWARD JOHNSON, Director, Applied Science Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (ex officio)
ASHOK G. KAVEESHWAR, Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
RICK KOWALEWSKI, Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
BRIGHAM MCCOWN, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
WILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation Association (ex officio)
MARY E. PETERS, Federal Highway Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
SUZANNE RUDZINSKI, Director, Transportation and Regional Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ex officio)
JEFFREY W. RUNGE, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
ANNETTE M. SANDBERG, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
JEFFREY N. SHANE, Under Secretary for Policy, U.S.DOT (ex officio)
CARL A. STROCK (Maj. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ex officio)
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Transportation Research Board Executive Committee Subcommittee for NCHRP
JOHN R. NJORD, Utah DOT (Chair) MARY E. PETERS, Federal Highway Administration
JOHN C. HORSLEY, American Association of State Highway ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR., Transportation Research Board
and Transportation Officials MICHAEL S. TOWNES, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA
MICHAEL D. MEYER, Georgia Institute of Technology C. MICHAEL WALTON, University of Texas, Austin
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP REPORT 547
Simple Performance Tests:
Summary of Recommended
Methods and Database
MATTHEW WITCZAK
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
S UBJECT A REAS
Pavement Design, Management, and Performance
Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2005
www.TRB.org
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH NCHRP REPORT 547
PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective Project 9-19
approach to the solution of many problems facing highway
administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local ISSN 0077-5614
interest and can best be studied by highway departments ISBN 0-309-08843-7
individually or in cooperation with their state universities and
Library of Congress Control Number 2005935134
others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation
develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to © 2005 Transportation Research Board
highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a
coordinated program of cooperative research. Price $28.00
In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research
program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is
supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating
member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation
and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States NOTICE
Department of Transportation.
The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies
Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the
was requested by the Association to administer the research
approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval
program because of the Board's recognized objectivity and reflects the Governing Board's judgment that the program concerned is of national
understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the
suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee National Research Council.
structure from which authorities on any highway transportation
The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review
subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and
this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due
cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and
universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the
Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee,
research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National
matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
a position to use them. Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
The program is developed on the basis of research needs Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee
identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research
departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research
areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed Council.
to the National Research Council and the Board by the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and
qualified research agencies are selected from those that have
submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research
contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council
and the Transportation Research Board. Published reports of the
The needs for highway research are many, and the National
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant
contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of are available from:
mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program,
however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or Transportation Research Board
duplicate other highway research programs. Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
and can be ordered through the Internet at:
Note: The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the
National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the individual
http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do
not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear
herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. Printed in the United States of America
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol-
ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology
and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in
1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni-
cal matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration
and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for
advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs
aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve-
ments of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the
services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining
to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of
Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative,
to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the
Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate
the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and
advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad-
emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences
and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the
scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and
the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair,
respectively, of the National Research Council.
The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the
National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board's mission is to promote
innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting,
the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and
practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical
excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research
results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board's varied activities annually engage more
than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and
private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is
supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of
the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the
development of transportation. www.TRB.org
www.national-academies.org
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 547
ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Manager, NCHRP
EDWARD T. HARRIGAN, Senior Program Officer
EILEEN P. DELANEY, Director of Publications
HILARY FREER, Senior Editor
NATALIE BARNES, Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 9-19 PANEL
Field of Materials and Construction--Area of Bituminous Materials
LARRY A. SCOFIELD, American Concrete Pavement Association, Mesa, AZ (Chair)
HUSSAIN BAHIA, University of WisconsinMadison
LUIS JULIAN BENDANA, New York State DOT
E. RAY BROWN, National Center for Asphalt Technology
DALE S. DECKER, Bailey, CO
JON A. EPPS, Granite Construction Inc., Sparks, NV
ERIC E. HARM, Illinois DOT
DALLAS N. LITTLE, Texas A&M University, Texas Transportation Institute
CARL L. MONISMITH, University of CaliforniaBerkeley
JAMES A. MUSSELMAN, Florida DOT
LINDA M. PIERCE, Washington State DOT
JOHN BUKOWSKI, FHWA Liaison
THOMAS HARMAN, FHWA Liaison
LESLIE ANN MYERS, FHWA Liaison
LARRY L. MICHAEL, Maryland State Highway Administration Liaison
FREDERICK HEJL, TRB Liaison
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This report summarizes key information on three recommended simple performance tests
FOREWORD for permanent deformation of hot mix asphalt (HMA). In the final phase of the work
By Edward T. Harrigan described here, and as described in two companion reports to be published later, the candi-
Staff Officer date tests for permanent deformation were validated with field performance data, and spec-
Transportation Research ifications for their use were developed. The report will be of particular interest to materials
Board engineers in state highway agencies, as well as to materials suppliers and paving contrac-
tor personnel responsible for designing and producing HMA.
A key objective of NCHRP Project 9-19, "Superpave Support and Performance Models
Management," was to develop simple performance tests for permanent deformation and
fatigue cracking for incorporation in the Superpave volumetric mix design method. The
2002 NCHRP Report 465: Simple Performance Test for Superpave Mix Design, summa-
rized analytical and experimental work conducted between 1995 and 2001 at the Univer-
sity of Maryland and Arizona State University to (1) survey the range of potential simple
performance test methods and (2) select the most promising methods for a field validation
program.
The resulting field validation and specification development program were conducted
between 2001 and 2005. Both plant mixes and laboratory-blended, short-term oven-aged
mixes were tested in the field validation program. Mixtures from MnRoad, NCAT Test
Track, Indiana, Nevada I-80, WesTrack, FHWA-ALF, and Arizona I-10 sites constituted
the complete test matrix. The results of the validation program supported the selection of
the dynamic modulus (E*), flow number (Fn), and flow time (Ft) tests as simple perfor-
mance tests for permanent deformation of HMA mixes.
The project findings summarized in this report were extensively reviewed with the
research team by the NCHRP Project 9-19 panel. In 2004, the project panel formally rec-
ommended the dynamic modulus test as the primary simple performance test for permanent
deformation. The panel further recommended the flow number test as an optional, comple-
mentary procedure for evaluating the resistance of an HMA mix design to tertiary flow.
Subsequently, the research agency prepared a specification, in the form of a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet, that determines a critical minimum E* value for HMA, which is based on
project-specific information on climate, traffic, pavement structure, and layer depth. The
specification is based on a series of pavement design examples pre-solved using the pave-
ment design guide software from NCHRP Project 1-37A. The agency also developed guide-
lines for using the flow number or flow time test to estimate the rutting potential of HMA
mixes under specific project conditions. These detailed results, supported by the findings of
the field validation program, will be presented in the two companion reports to this report.
A fourth report will describe the use of the E* test to estimate the fatigue cracking poten-
tial of HMA mixes.
This report summarizes the theory behind the three validated tests and briefly describes
the test methods. A set of appendices, included (in DVD format) as CRP-CD-46, contains:
1. All test data, mixture data, master curves, and master curve parameters obtained from
the E* testing and analysis,
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2. All test and mixture data obtained from the Fn and Ft tests, including p (permanent
strain at flow), r (recoverable strain at flow), p /r (from the Fn test), and compliance
(from the Ft test), and
3. A collection of technical reports, theses and dissertations, and other relevant docu-
ments prepared during the course of NCHRP Project 9-19 and its predecessor FHWA
project to support the development of the simple performance tests.
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CONTENTS 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction
2 CHAPTER 2 Theory
2.1 Dynamic Modulus (E*), 2
2.2 Flow Number (Fn), 3
2.3 Flow Time (Ft), 5
6 CHAPTER 3 Summary of Test Methods
3.1 Dynamic Modulus, 6
3.2 Flow Number and Flow Time, 6
8 CHAPTER 4 Organization of CRP-CD-46