Asphalt mixture is a skeleton filling system consisting of aggregate and asphalt binder. Its performance is directly affected by the internal load transfer mechanism of the skeleton filling system. It is significant to understand the load transfer mechanisms for asphalt mixture design and performance evaluation. The objective of this paper is to review the research progress of the asphalt mixture load transfer mechanism. Firstly, this paper summarizes the test methods used to investigate the load transfer mechanism of asphalt mixtures. Then, an overview of the characterization of load transfer mechanism from three aspects was provided. Next, the indicators capturing contact characteristics, contact force characteristics, and force chain characteristics were compared. Finally, the load transfer mechanism of asphalt mixtures under different loading conditions was discussed. Some recommendations and conclusions in terms of load transfer mechanism characterization and evaluation were given. The related work can provide valuable references for the study of the load transfer mechanism of asphalt mixtures.
Keywords: asphalt mixture; contact force; force chain; load transfer mechanism; testing method.