The available methods for accelerated ageing simulation in laboratory of compacted bituminous mixtures are often not representative of the ageing mechanisms experienced in the field. The objective of this study was to develop an alternative ageing method, Tecnico accelerated ageing (TEAGE). The method is intended to simulate the ageing of bituminous mixtures under specific environmental conditions by applying watering/drying cycles and ultra-violet (UV) radiation in equivalent levels to those observed in the field during a certain time. In this study a type of mixture was aged using TEAGE and LTOA (long-term oven ageing) methods and then tested for mechanical performance conducting stiffness, fatigue resistance and indirect tensile strength tests. Additionally, the chemical composition of the water used for the watering/drying cycles was analysed and recovered binders were tested for softening point and penetration. TEAGE-aged specimens showed clear evidence of an ageing gradient through the specimens’ depth, substantial reduction in fatigue life (15% reduction in Ԑ₆) and a visible effect on the colouration of the UV exposed surface when compared with LTOA-aged specimens. The overall results and comparison with other studies indicate that TEAGE framework addressed in a more consistent way the ageing mechanisms that could be seen in the field.

压实沥青混合物实验室中加速老化模拟的可用方法通常不能代表该领域中经历的老化机制。这项研究的目的是开发一种替代的老化方法，即Tecnico加速老化（TEAGE）。该方法旨在通过在一定时间内施加与田间观察到的等效水平的浇水/干燥周期和紫外线（UV）辐射，来模拟特定环境条件下沥青混合物的老化。在这项研究中，使用TEAGE和LTOA（长期烘箱老化）方法对一种类型的混合物进行时效处理，然后进行机械性能测试，包括刚度，耐疲劳性和间接拉伸强度测试。另外，分析用于浇水/干燥循环的水的化学组成，并测试回收的粘合剂的软化点和渗透性。经过TEAGE时效的试样清楚地表明了贯穿试样深度的老化梯度，疲劳寿命大大降低（（降低了15％）。₆）和与LTOA老化的样品相比，对紫外线暴露表面的着色有明显影响。总体结果和与其他研究的比较表明，TEAGE框架以更一致的方式解决了该领域中可能出现的老化机制。