Characterization of Bituminous Materials and Their Resistance to Fatigue Cracking by Dissipated Energy in Cyclic Tests: EBADE Test.

This paper presents the application of the same type of cyclic strain sweep test, the EBADE test, in the characterization of bitumens and mixes. This test employs a consistent methodology and set of parameters-namely, breaking stress, tenacity and dissipated energy at failure-to evaluate fatigue failure resistance in both materials. These parameters are intrinsically interrelated, and based on this relationship, the EBADE diagram was developed to establish a quantitative scale for resistance, ductility and tenacity. This scale facilitates the characterization and comparative analysis of bitumens and bituminous mixtures. The EBADE test and its associated diagram are applied to various penetration-grade and modified bitumens, as well as to the mixtures manufactured from them. The results demonstrate that the differentiating characteristics and advantages ob-served in the bitumen characterization are consistently reflected in the corresponding mixtures. Furthermore, the EBADE test, conducted across a range of temperatures, enables the generation of characteristic curves for both bitumens and mixtures within the EBADE diagram, facilitating a comparative analysis of their respective responses. The findings of this study validate the suitability of using dissipated energy for the characterization of the fatigue resistance of both bitumens and mixtures.