Statistical validation of a new tensile creep test for asphalt mastics

Currently, the increasing traffic level and climatic change are exacerbating the premature distress of pavement infrastructures. In order to assess this problem, the proposed research activity aims to statistically evaluate the parameters of a new mastic tensile creep test, which is based on a uniaxial tensile configuration. This allows the material deformation to be kept in the small-strain domain and the mechanical behavior to be considered as linear viscoelastic (LVE). Particularly, the main tasks of the study herein were the statistical analysis of the proper testing temperature and load. Moreover, the storage period of the samples was also analyzed, com-paring four storage durations (1, 2, 4, and 12 h). The proposed analysis was performed using three fillers (one pure limestone and two limestone-based fillers) and two asphalt binders, neat and 3.5 % Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified, respectively. The validation of the test-ing protocol also involved the analysis of the operator sensitivity using the one-way ANOVA statistical test. The results showed that the testing protocol is not operator-sensitive and allows the LVE behavior to be kept in the small-strain domain. The results also indicated that the m-value seems to interpret the accumulation of the permanent deformation for the mastic materials, which may be used as the property of materials, well.