Investigation of crack resistance potential of stress absorbing membrane interlayers (SAMIs) under traffic loading

► The study investigates performance of SAMIs against reflective cracking. ► The SAMIs were found to be more effective when lower SAMI thickness was used. ► The SAMIs' resistance against reflective cracking was more pronounced with a lower load level. ► The relative benefit of the SAMIs decreases as the overlay thickness increases. ► The increased deflection caused by SAMIs does not have negative impact on performance.