Xi'an Area Superpave Mix Design Method Applicability Study

Superpave is one of the end products in the area of asphalt and mix after the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) has been finished. In 1995, Superpave was introduced into china and then arose much reaction of all circles. Owing to the differences between China and USA's climate, traffic condition, raw materials and construction, we should take it into account when we use this design method.On the basis of the analysis and conclusion on the domestic and foreign study state of Superpave, this paper selected the raw materials local in Xi'an area, studied the application of Superpave in Xi'an. Xi'an area belongs to the area which torrid in summer and cold in winter, so when we use Superpave to design asphalt pavements, high temperature is the principal factor which we should consider.Comparing the climate subarea of Xi'an and the long-term observation on temperature field of pavement structure, this paper analyzed the relationship between the temperature changes of each layer and the change of air temperature, and put forward some regression formulas of this, which can be the foundation of a new road design. And the paper also studied the factors which affect the performance of Superpave mixture. Besides, the author effectively predicted the performance of asphalt mixtures by the models which made by ANN. In addition, this paper discussed the construction techniques of Superpave mixtures, and presented the practice of trial road as a reference to the application of Superpave in the future.