Contractors should allow extra mixture design time since the FAA and VMA can be difficult to meet with many current asphalt mixes. FAA can be achieved more easily with crushed materials, better aggregate quality control and less natural sand. Since the Superpave mixes are typically coarser than current mixes, more field compactive effort may be required. The Superpave Gyratory Compactor is a great tool to understand asphalt mixture densification. If the mix density does not exceed the Superpave N Initial criteria of 89 percent, the break down roller should be able to stay near the hot-mix paver.
Most Superpave mixes are very stable and can easily support the weight of the roller.
Although the two to four hour oven cure and 150mm specimen size are inconvenient, they provide improved parameters for volumetric mix design and mixture representation. The future looks bright. Proof tests, such as the Hamburg Wheel Tracking device and the Asphalt Pavement Analyzer have gained popularity in understanding mixture durability and rutting. More importantly, the need for predicting pavement performance is increasing rapidly. After the refinement of the Superpave Shear Tester and Indirect Tensile Tester for predicting rut depth, fatigue cracking, and low temperature cracking, we will have many tools to predict pavement life.