Suggested Citation:
Rahman, Mohammad, John T. Harvey, Rongzong Wu, Angel Mateos, David Jones (2026)

Mechanistic-Empirical Cracking Performance of Asphalt Mixes Containing RAP/RAS

In this study, four different plant-produced asphalt concrete (AC) mixes containing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), and recycling agent (RA) were considered to better understand the mechanical-empirical cracking performance of AC mixes containing recycled materials. The California mechanistic-empirical design software (CalME) was used to evaluate the mechanical-empirical performance of AC mixes by utilizing the laboratory test results. Four mixes considered in this study were: (1) a control mix with no RAP/ RAS, (2) a typically used mix with 10% RAP, (3) a mix with 3% RAS and RA, and (4) a mix with 10% RAP, 3% RAS and RA. Also, asphalt mixes were collected at two different plant-production times for each mix type to monitor the performance variability between lots. A softer base binder (PG 58-22) was used for mixes with RAS compared to the base binder (PG 64-16) used for the control mix (no RAP or RAS) and the mix with only RAP. The use of small dosages of RA and the softer binder in the RAS mixes was found to show similar laboratory performance compared to the control mix with no RAP or RAS. The CalME analysis indicated a similar cracking life for mixes containing RAP/RAS and RA compared to the control mix for a thin intermediate structure. The mix with only RAS and no RAP showed slightly better cracking life compared to other mixes when using it in the thick intermediate layer.