Application of Response Surface Method for Analyzing Pavement Performance

Hot mix asphalt (HMA) is a common material that has been largely used in the road construction industries. The main constituents of HMA are asphalt binder, mineral aggregate, and filler. The asphalt binder bounds aggregate and filler particles together and also waterproofs the mixture. The aggregate acts as a stone skeleton to impart strength and toughness to the structure, while the filler fills pores in the mixture which can improve adhesion and cohesion as well as moisture resistance. The HMA behavior depends on individual component properties and their combined reaction in the mixture. Asphalt binder properties change due to different factors. Over the years, asphalt pavement materials age, causing binder embrittlement which adversely affects pavement service life. Response Surface Method (RSM) is a set of techniques that are used to develop a series of experiment designs, determining relationships between experimental factors and responses, and using these relationships to determine the optimum conditions. Incorporating RSM in pavement technologies can beneficially help researchers to develop a better experimental matrix and give them the opportunity to analyze the changes in pavement performance in a faster, more effective, and reliable way.