State-of-the-art test equipment for determining the crack initiation and crack propagation experienced within asphalt mixtures

In recent years many mixture design methods have produced materials that are stiffer, leaner and more resistant to rutting, however, such materials are often more susceptible to fatigue and reflection cracking. The Texas Overlay Tester was designed to simulate the expansion and contraction movements that occur in the vicinity of joints or cracks and which result in reflection cracking in overlays. With the Cox/Cooper Texas Overlay Tester it is possible to characterize both the crack initiation and crack propagation properties of asphalt mixtures. Cox/Cooper have developed the Texas Overlay Tester, which is a dedicated, state-of-the-art piece of equipment for carrying out this test. 

Automatically calculates critical fracture energy and crack resistance index according to Tex-248-F. 

Texas Overlay Tester includes: 

• CRT-TOT-PL Pair of Platens with pins for Texas Overlay
• CRT-TOT-2EPOX – Two-part epoxy with a minimum 24-hour tensile strength of 4.1MPa and 24hr shear strength of 13.8MPa in accordance with Tex-614-J (DevconTM two-tone 30-Minute Plastic Steel Epoxy Cement)
• CRT-TOT-SBAR – 4.2mm spacer bar for plate separation and alignment
• CRT-TOT-2.25WEIGHT 2.25 kg QTY 1 weight (in the shape of the specimen to ensure the load is spread evenly and does not overhang the edges of the specimen)
• CRT-TOT-TAPE – ¼ inch width adhesive tape
• CRT-TOT-MARKER – Permanent marker
• CRT-TOT-GLUE – Gluing jig