Design and implementation of direct tension-compression fatigue testing apparatus for damage evaluation in hot mix asphalt

ABSTRACT In the country, there are two most common distress found on highways: rutting and fatigue cracking. Through the most varied causes, the formation and propagation of cracks occurs as a result of repeated traffic demands and over time will drastically reduce the service life of the pavement, for example, facilitating ingress of water in granular layers of the structure and accelerating its deterioration. In addition, the most commonly used methods in Brazil for assessing and predicting fatigue behavior of asphalt concrete raises many questions to the scientific and technical community. Thus, in the context of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) advanced characterization, projects of the apparatus were developed as well the data processing. It is the Direct Tension Cyclic Fatigue Test to evaluate and characterize HMA behavior when it comes to fatigue damage. Adaptations of existing parts from two other research centers were made in to fit the hydraulic press used in Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM): the Universal Testing Machine (UTM-25). Tests were performed to verify the compatibility between pieces produced and hydraulic press, which demonstrated success in this matter.