Refining Thermal Segregation Assessment: Insights from Field Evaluations to Enhance Texas Standards

This study identifies significant limitations in current methods for assessing thermal segregation in pavement construction. Existing methods capture uniformity but fail to distinguish between uniformly good and bad conditions, often missing critical quality issues. Field visits revealed a disconnect between identified severe thermal segregation profiles and actual pavement conditions, indicating that the current classification method may not accurately predict pavement quality. Severe segregation, as indicated by differential temperatures over 50°F, often represents only moderate issues. The proposed thermal segregation risk index is an effective approach, offering a better representation of thermal distribution. Evaluating thermal segregation based on differential temperature relative to the target discharge temperature is also more suitable. The study highlights the need for refined evaluation methods that consider absolute temperatures and relative differentials. These findings suggest the need for improved thermal segregation assessment methodologies to ensure reliable pavement quality evaluations.