A proposed methodology for the global study of the mechanical properties of cold asphalt mixtures

•A new method to study cold asphalt mixes is proposed.•Properties such as UCS, ITS and ITSM could be faithfully correlated.•An application example with two very different cold asphalt mixes is given.•Different properties show different behavior with bitumen increases.•Absorbent aggregates such as CDWA tend to homogenize the cold mix asphalt layers.

Despite having been used for decades, the structural performance of emulsion-treated materials has still not been investigated as intensely as in the case of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Proof of this is the lack of evolution of specific technical tests and standards. Due to this, many studies with cold asphalt mixtures (CAM) are carried out based on HMA specifications. Throughout the present paper, a new methodology is proposed in order to study different mechanical properties of CAM, such as unconfined compression strength (UCS), indirect tensile strength (ITS) and indirect tensile stiffness modulus (ITSM) not only in an independent way but also by giving a global approach. The consistency and applicability of the method is discussed and from its application to a practical case study with two very different CAM, new conclusions about their performance are laid down.