Rutting is one of the main asphalt pavement distresses, and it is believed that binder properties play an important role in mixture’s potential rutting resistance. Generally, in the Superpave design system asphalt binder is selected based on the binder PG grade required for the climate. However, to implement performance control through the traditional Superpave PG system during mix design faces more challenges due to the changes of oil refinery, asphalt binder modification, and the use of recycled materials in the mixture. This paper aims to investigate the role of asphalt binders and mix designs in the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures. A total of 22 plant-produced mixtures from 10 states and 5 laboratory-produced mixtures were investigated for their rutting performance in this study. Those tested mixtures include various binder grades, aggregate sources, RAP contents, and mix designs. The Superpave binder rutting parameter G*/sinδ and Multiple Stress Creep and Recovery (MSCR) grade parameter Jnr3.2 are correlated with the mixture dynamic modulus and Hamburg Wheel Tracking (HWT) rutting parameters. In addition, the effects of other mix design variables on the rutting resistance are evaluated using a statistical analysis. The results show that by incorporating the binder properties and mix design variables, the stepwise regression fitting provides a much better prediction for HWT rutting parameters as compared to using only the binder properties. This indicates the importance of proper selection of the binder grade for mixture performance, and it also calls for justifying more focus on including mixture design variables to ensure acceptable mixture rutting performance. The statistical analysis can provide an insight into the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning by generating mathematical models for evaluating which mixture design variables are needed for better prediction of rutting performance.

车辙是沥青路面的主要问题之一，据信粘合剂性能在混合物的潜在抗车辙性中起着重要作用。通常，在 Superpave 设计系统中，根据气候所需的粘合剂 PG 等级选择沥青粘合剂。然而，由于炼油厂、沥青结合料改性以及在混合料中使用再生材料的变化，在混合料设计过程中通过传统的Superpave PG系统实施性能控制面临更多挑战。本文旨在研究沥青结合料和配合比设计在沥青混合料抗车辙性能中的作用。在这项研究中，总共研究了来自 10 个州的 22 种植物生产的混合物和 5 种实​​验室生产的混合物的车辙性能。这些测试混合物包括各种粘合剂等级，聚合源、RAP 内容和混合设计。Superpave 粘结剂车辙参数 G*/sinδ 和多应力蠕变和恢复 (MSCR) 等级参数 Jnr3.2 与混合料动态模量和汉堡车轮跟踪 (HWT) 车辙参数相关。此外，使用统计分析评估其他混合设计变量对车辙阻力的影响。结果表明，通过结合粘合剂特性和配合比设计变量，与仅使用粘合剂特性相比，逐步回归拟合对 HWT 车辙参数提供了更好的预测。这表明正确选择粘合剂等级对于混合物性能的重要性，并且还要求更多地关注包括混合物设计变量以确保可接受的混合物车辙性能。