Experimental assessment and modeling of fracture and fatigue resistance of aged stone matrix asphalt (SMA) mixtures containing RAP materials and warm-mix additive using ANFIS method.

In this research, the fracture and fatigue resistance of short and long-term aged hot and warm mix (HMA and WMA) stone matrix asphalt (SMA) mixtures containing 0%, 30%, 40%, and 50% RAP materials were investigated using semi-circular bending (SCB) and four-point beam fatigue (4 PB) test methods. It is further noted that three temperatures (− 20 °C, 0 °C, and 20 °C) were considered for the SCB test to take the viscoelastic behavior of asphalt mixtures into account. The adaptive neuro-fuzzy interface system (ANFIS) method was utilized to model the fracture and fatigue parameters obtained from each test so as to cut back on the time and cost for conducting the tests. The results indicated that the incorporation of RAP materials into HMA mixtures decreased the fatigue life and fracture resistance as compared to the control mixture at lower temperatures, even though an increase in the fracture resistance was observed at the intermediate temperature. It is further noted that the addition of WMA additive into SMA mixtures containing 50% RAP materials resulted in a better fracture resistance as compared to the control mixture. However, the WMA additive incorporation led to shorter fatigue lives as compared to the corresponding HMA mixtures. Moreover, although long-term aging reduced the fracture resistance of HMA mixtures, its application resulted in a better fracture resistance in WMA mixtures. Also, long-term aging had a less adverse effect on the fatigue life of WMA mixtures as compared to HMA mixtures. It was also observed that the ANFIS model could estimate the fracture and fatigue parameters with great precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]