Endurance limit of hot mix asphalt mixtures to prevent bottom-up fatigue cracking

This report presents the findings of a research project to validate the existence of the fatigue endurance limit for hot mix asphalt. A practical definition of the endurance limit was developed. Laboratory tests, conducted using beam fatigue tests, demonstrated the existence of the endurance limit and that it was affected by mixture and binder properties. A methodology was developed to estimate the endurance limit in the laboratory. Sensitivity analyses indicate that changes in the endurance limit significantly affect the thickness of perpetual pavements designed with the M-EPDG and PerRoad methodologies.