Determining the impact of degree of blending and quality of reclaimed asphalt pavement on predicted pavement performance using pavement ME design Sean Coffey a , Eric DuBois a , Yusuf Mehta b,⇑ , Aaron Nolan c , Caitlin Purdy c a Graduate Research Assistant Rowan University, United States b Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, United States c Research Assistant Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, United States highlights  Predicted rutting is not significantly impacted by the assumed degree of blending and quality of RAP.  Predicted fatigue cracking performance was significantly different between mixes with different qualities of RAP.  As the quality of RAP becomes better, the difference in predicted performance between the full and actual blending conditions is lower. article info Article history: Received 1 March 2013 Received in revised form 5 June 2013 Accepted 6 June 2013 Available online 8 August 2013 Keywords: RAP Rutting Fatigue DCM Pavement ME abstract Past studies indicated binder from reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) aggregates only partial degree of blending (DOB) within hot mix asphalt (HMA). Most state agencies assume full blending, which may lead to under asphalting. This study focuses on determining the impact of it on predicted performance using Pavement ME level I analysis of six 25% RAP mixes. Dynamic complex modulus (DCM) tests were con- ducted with full and ‘‘actual’’ blending, all greater than 85%, using varying conditions comparing rutting and fatigue performance. The results indicate high DOB RAP mixes with uniform gradations have negli- gible effect on predicted performance and would not compromise performance. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The asphalt industry, which is under pressure to cut cost and produce a more environmentally sustainable product, is increas- ingly incorporating RAP into HMA. With more mixes including RAP and at higher percentages it has become imperative to under- stand the impact of RAP on performance, yet little is known. RAP quality as well as how well the RAP blends with the new mix may be impacting performance. Many state agencies assume full blending, which may lead to under asphalting or a relatively stiffer mix. However, it is unclear how this will affect the predicted pave- ment performance. While RAP quality can affect the degree of blending, RAP quality can impact performance and can be classi- fied separately. There is a need to conduct a level I analysis to determine the impact of DOB and RAP quality on predicted pave- ment performance. 2. Objective The objective of this study is to determine the impact of RAP quality and degree of blending, in a 25% RAP hot mix asphalt, on predicted rutting and fatigue performance using Pavement ME level I analysis. The research methodology to achieve the objective is shown in Fig. 1 below for each RAP source. Each sample will be labeled by a mix label as follows: Mix-X-X (as shown in Table 1). 3. Background information 3.1. Degree of blending Degree of blending represents the percentage of the total RAP binder that is mobilized in an asphalt mix. Degree of blending is dependent on binder content and properties, as well as gradation; therefore, samples were prepared under the ‘‘Actual’’ and full blending conditions to assess the impact of the DOB [1]. Many state 0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.06.012 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 856 2565327. E-mail address: mehta@rowan.edu (Y. Mehta). Construction and Building Materials 48 (2013) 473–478 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Construction and Building Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat