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Evaluation of the Laboratory Asphalt
Stability Test

February 2005

Publication No. FHWA-HRT-04-111

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Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
63000 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101

FOREWORD

The Laboratory Asphalt Stability Test (LAST) was proposed by the researchers of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 9-10 program as a possible new method to evaluate the storage stability of modified asphalts. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was assigned the responsibility for evaluating the LAST device. This involved three tasks:

Procuring a commercial version of the LAST device.
Correcting perceived deficiencies in this device.
Conducting a thorough evaluation of the test method.

The modified asphalts used in NCHRP 90-07 were investigated in this study. These included elastomers, plastomers, elasto-plastomers, and crumb rubber. The eight binders chosen all met the Superpave performance grading of 70-28 (PG70-28). This report details the work at FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in evaluating the thermal stability of modified binders using the LAST device.

Paul Teng, Director
Office of Infrastructure Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

1. Report No. FHWA-RD-04-111	2. Government Accession No.			3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Evaluation of the Laboratory Asphalt Stability Test				5. Report Date February 2005
				6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s) Jack Youtcheff , N. Wijayatilleke, and A. Shenoy				8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Office of Infrastructure Research and Development Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296				10. Work Unit No.
				11. Contract or Grant No. In House Report
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Infrastructure Research and Development Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296				13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final—July 2003
				14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes FHWA Contact: Jack Youtcheff, HRDI-11
16. Abstract The Laboratory Asphalt Stability Test (LAST) was proposed by the researchers of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 9-10 program as a possible new method to evaluate the storage stability of modified asphalts. The test involved exposing the binders with and without mechanical agitation at elevated temperatures for extended lengths of time to assess the thermal stability of the binders. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was assigned the responsibility for evaluating the LAST. The task involved (a) procuring a commercial version of the LAST, (b) correcting perceived deficiencies, and (c) evaluating the test method thoroughly.
17. Key Words Storage stability, LAST, test method, polymer-modified asphalt binders			18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified		20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified			21. No of Pages 50	22. Price