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Volumetric properties, such as volume of air voids (VV), voids filled with asphalt (VFA), and voids in mineral aggregate (VMA), strongly influence the performance of asphalt mixtures. This paper analyzes the influence of volumetric properties on the mechanical properties of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture which molds using vertical vibration compaction method (VVCM). Suggested values of volumetric properties were proposed based on the optimization of mechanical properties. Additionally, the proposed design was evaluated based on its performance in practice. Results show a 92% testing accuracy of the mechanical properties of VVCM specimens. This accuracy reveals that the vibration molding is compatible with the mechanism of the roller. High consistency was observed between the mechanical properties of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture and VV, VFA. However, the correlation between mechanical properties and VMA was poor. Hence, the suggested values of VV and VFA in the ATB-30 asphalt mixture are 2.8%–4.0% and 64%–74%, respectively, and VMA is only used as a reference with a value of at least 10.5%. Compared with the Marshall Compaction method (MCM), the Marshall stability, dynamic stability, splitting strength, and tensile strength of the ATB-30 asphalt mixture increased by 54.4%, 39.1%, 54.8%, and 53.7%, respectively, when using the design-suggested values of the VVCM design. The water stability of the asphalt mixture also improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the performance of asphalt mixture designed by the vertical vibration method, the vertical vibration design method (VTM design method) and Marshall design method were used to design the AC-16 (asphalt concrete with nominal maximum aggregate size = 16 mm) asphalt mixture. The physical properties, mechanical properties, road performance and fatigue property of the asphalt mixture designed by these two methods were examined. The results show that compared with that of the Marshall method, the optimal asphalt content of the asphalt mixture designed by the VTM method is decreased by 9.0%, and the density is increased by 1.8%; the mechanical properties, anti-rut ability and anti-crack ability are increased by at least 30%, 34% and 17%, respectively; and the water stability is also improved slightly. In addition, the fatigue life can be increased by at least 59%. The results also show that the Marshall stability, compression strength, splitting strength, tensile strength and shear strength of field drill cores designed by the VTM method are increased by at least 42%, 32%, 21%, 31% and 33%, respectively, compared with those of the Marshall method. Clearly, the performance of the asphalt mixture designed by the VTM method is better than that of the Marshall method, which could offer a better choice for asphalt mixture design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]