THE FRENCH APPROACH TO ASPHALT MIXTURE DESIGN: A PERFORMANCE-RELATED SYSTEM OF SPECIFICATIONS

This paper makes a presentation of the approach developed in France for the design of pavement asphalt mixtures. After some indications given on specific aspects of the French conditions, evolution that occurred over the past forth years is discussed. The main principles and the basic content of the preset method of mix design are indicated, followed by a brief description of the laboratory tests on which the specifications are based. The design criteria are explicated and a comparison is made with Superpave Level I mix design method. A presentation of the French state of practice related to mix design studies and asphalt mixes conclude the paper.