Pavement

This Guide has been prepared as part of the Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology to provide an introduction to the nature of asphalt as a material and its application in road pavements. Further publications in this Guide provide supporting detail for the design, manufacture and placing of asphalt as well as selection of materials for particular application.

Asphalt is widely used in the construction and surfacing of roads in Australasia. The properties of asphalt are complex and its performance requirements vary considerably with the application. Engineers responsible for the design of works incorporating asphalt have a responsibility to acquire an adequate understanding of the properties of asphalt and appropriate usage as well as an understanding of the application of specifications and construction requirements.

The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of the principal types of asphalt, selection of asphalt mix type, selection of component materials, asphalt mix design, performance characterisation, and manufacture and placing. Specific details, supporting the topics discussed in this document, are provided by other publications.