Currently, a variety of asphalt mixture cracking characterization tests are available as screening tools for the better selection of high-quality raw materials and also for the optimization of mixture design for different applications. However, for a same evaluation index, using different sample geometries and loading modes might lead to obtaining different values, which prevents the application of the evaluation index as a fundamental parameter in pavement design. In this paper, the effects of geometry and loading mode on the stress state in the experimental characterization of asphalt mixture cracking were discussed using numerical simulation. The results showed that applying thermally-induced load in restrained uniaxial test configuration should be considered when performing an asphalt mixture cracking test. Compared with direct tensile configuration, compressive stress clearly existed in other common test configurations, which may prevent the initiation and propagation of cracks. Moreover, it was revealed that nonuniform stress state exists in the dog-bone geometry, which makes it possible to know the failure plane in advance and place gauges at the failure plane for measuring fundamental deformation-related properties.
Keywords: asphalt mixture; cracking; geometry; mechanical load; numerical simulation; thermal load.