Development of an Interface Shear Strength Tester and a Model Predicting the Optimal Application Rate of Tack Coat

Tack coat application rates and testing conditions differ among nations and construction conditions because various tack coat materials are available. In this study, newer materials are optimized for addition to porous asphalt pavements exposed to torrential rainfall, which is common in South Korea. Interface shear strength (ISS) tests are used to define the optimum application rates (OARs) of tack coat materials generally used in South Korea, by reference to the Korean Design Standard (KDS), the Korean Construction Standard (KCS), and features of pavement construction and bonding. We performed ISS tests using asphalt mixtures with porosities of 3, 5, and 7% to explore the effect of porosity on shear strength. The ISSs associated with varying tack coat proportions were earlier determined by creating polynomial regression equations. Here, we develop a predictive model using a non-linear function to estimate the OAR of tack coat and compare our approach with the earlier polynomial regression analysis. Based on the ISSs, the golden section search method was applied to define the OARs afforded by the predictive polynomial function. We used the generalized reduced gradient algorithm to construct a nonlinear predictive function using data from the ISS tests. Finally, our comparative analysis showed that the predictive model using the non-linear function was superior to the polynomial model in terms of both error rate and predictive tendency.