Design of thermal stress restrained testing machine for measurement of low temperature cracking in asphalt concrete

Thermal Stress Restrained Testing Machine (TSRST) is used for measurement of thermal stresses produced during testing of specimen at low temperatures. Though this machine has long been in practice by many researchers around the world, no consensus, however, reached on the specification of a standard testing machine. Researchers from different institutions are still coming with their own design of test setup and procedures to perform this test. This would mean that there might not be one manufacturer around the world who may have the capability to produce the machine on regular basis, or this can be put in this word that a TSRST designed is not patented yet. The contents presents in this paper discusses the modified version of one such machine. It is envisaged that the changes made in the TSRST equipment would improve the reliability of measuring thermally induced stresses in asphalt concrete specimen in the laboratory. This in turn will result in providing reliable solution to control low temperature cracking in asphalt pavement.