AASHTO PP 84-17

Specifications for concrete pavement mixtures have traditionally been prescriptive, with State Highway Agencies (SHA) specifying means and methods for both constituent materials and specific requirements for proportioning. This places the majority of the performance risk on the SHA and limits innovation. Recent trends of blending cementitious materials, reducing paste content, using modern additives and admixtures, and other innovations in the industry open the opportunity to move towards specifying the performance characteristics of concrete mixtures and allowing industry to design mixtures that address specific performance requirements. New methods to evaluate concrete performance have been developed, and others are being formulated, that can result in improved performance and economics. Shifting the responsibility for performance to the contractor provides an opportunity for innovation.

This specification covers the tests methods and values for a concrete pavement mixture that considers, and includes, alternative performance characteristics for acceptance.

In Section 6 of this specification, SHA traditions of using prescriptive methods are respected while also offering the option to use performance measures instead.

This specification is intended to provide SHAs flexibility in their approach to the use of performance characteristics and includes a range of choices that can be selected to best fit the needs of the agency.

Performance values included are for an average concrete pavement life in the range of 30 years. Due to normal materials and testing variability some risk in predicting actual service life exists. As service life prediction models and test methods mature, that risk is expected to be reduced.

The inclusion of performance measures increases the importance of Quality Control (QC), as the acceptance criteria are predicated on a well-designed and executed QC program that includes process, production, and construction control.