Use of indirect tension test and viscoelastic continuum damage theory for fatigue characterization of asphalt mixtures

The indirect tension (IDT) test has been adopted as an evaluation tool to ascertain fatigue crack resistance of asphalt mixtures using the dissipated creep strain energy (DCSE) concept. This study was aimed to develop a new systematic analysis framework that is tailored for this test based on the viscoelastic continuum damage theory. The damage characteristic relationship and the Material Fatigue Sensitivity (MFS) parameter were determined to assess the fatigue properties of ten asphalt mixtures with different compositions. It was found that MFS was able to discriminate the mixtures as per material composition factors. Moreover, MFS in general yielded consistent ranking observations regarding fatigue resistance with DCSE.