A novel performance-based method to design asphalt mixtures.

• The morphologies of aggregates can be quantified using photography and processed through ImageJ. • The number of aggregates and volume of mortar in an asphalt mixture is enough to predict its porosity, stiffness, stability, and flow. • New design models enable to select optimal aggregate's number and mortar's volume to achieve desired performance of asphalt mixtures. • New design models help checking whether one asphalt mixture fulfils performance requirements. Conventional asphalt mix design methods require numerous experiments to verify the efficacy of various recipes, resulting in significant time and labour costs. Therefore, there is a need for an alternative method that is both efficient and convenient. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel asphalt mix design method that reduces the reliance on time-consuming and resource-intensive physical and mechanical tests to determine the properties of new asphalt mixtures. The method focuses on the quantity of aggregates and the volume of mortar to estimate the air voids content, resilient stiffness modulus, Marshall stability, and flow requirements in accordance with industry standards. Statistical analysis shows that the key properties of asphalt mixtures are primarily influenced by the number of aggregates and volume of mortar. Nomographs are provided to predict these properties based on the mixture's gradation and mortar volume. The proposed method's feasibility is demonstrated by accurately predicting the gradations and properties of six different mixtures. Additionally, the paper suggests the use of 3D models for asphalt mixtures, allowing for the observation of aggregate distribution and air voids before testing the mixtures' mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]