🌍Location & Conditions
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Project Location optional — pulls real site climate
Showing regional default climate. Search a city or tap 📍 My location for this site's real data.
Climate & Traffic
7-day Max Air Temp input
45°C
Latitude input
20°
Moisture exposure humidity / rainfall
55%
Altitude UV aging
200 m
Aggregate Type assumes stripping requirement met
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20mm Design Temp (T20mm) T20mm
68°C
Computed from air temp + latitude, at the AASHTO/MoRTH T20mm depth (20mm below the surface) — the standard basis for binder-grade selection, not the hotter true surface temp. Adjust manually to override. The recommended binder's softening point must sit above this line.
Winter Low Temp cracking
8°C
Highway Classification auto-sets MSA
Design Life years
Design Traffic (MSA) override if needed
150
Classification + design life set MSA from the region's standard-anchored traffic table. Drag the slider to override manually — auto-set won't re-apply until you change classification, design life, or region again.
Design Reliability LTPPBind
Traffic Speed M323 bump
Reliability adds a safety margin to the design temperature (LTPPBind 98% ≈ +4°C). Slow or standing traffic bumps the required grade per M323 (1 grade = 6°C). Both raise the required softening point; for PMA the same requirement is met at mix level via dosage.
PMA Mix Dosage auto — from T20mm design temp
6%
PMA Type additive
Auto-set to the dosage that reaches the required design softening point (T20mm design temp + reliability/speed margin) whenever climate or traffic changes. Drag the slider to override manually. Higher dosage lifts the equivalent binder grade & softening point (see dosage ladder below). Graphene reinforcement adds the extra rutting/fatigue/stiffness gains shown further down; Standard PMA still modifies the mix matrix but without those graphene-specific gains.
SMA Carrier Binder what SMA is made with
SMA is a gap-graded skeleton, not a binder itself — it can be built with a virgin/neat binder (+ cellulose fibre for draindown), a modified (PMB/SBS/CRMB) binder, or a PMA binder. Auto picks the most economical option that reaches the T20mm design temp.
Comparison Set
Select binders for comparison
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📊Performance Verdict
Best Overall
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for these conditions
T20mm Design Temp
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design worst-case
Best Rut Resistance
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shear-flow at peak temp
Softening Pt Margin
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grades above peak temp
Softening Point vs 20mm Design Temperature (T20mm)
40°50°60°70°80°
Red line = T20mm design temp (—). Bar = grade softening point. Green = safe headroom, amber = tight, red = softening point below peak surface (rutting risk).
Performance Radar — All Selected Grades
Scored Comparison (0–100, adjusted to peak temp)
Rutting & stiffness scale to the gap between each grade's softening point and your T20mm design temp. Green = best in column, red = weakest.
Expected Marshall Parameters (75-blow BC mix)
Indicative Marshall properties for each grade on a dense BC mix. MoRTH BC floor: Stability ≥ 9 kN, Flow 2–4 mm, Marshall Quotient 2–5 kN/mm. PMA values track the dosage slider; anchored to your measured pair.
Suitability for
PMA Dosage → Equivalent Binder Grade
Dry-added PMA dosage produces mixes equivalent to different PG grades (RTFO lab true grades, AASHTO T315), calibrated to the measured 5% point (83.0°C, PG82). Recovered-from-mix grades run ~3–6°C lower. Raising dosage lifts grade, stiffness & rut resistance to an optimum near 6%; beyond it gains plateau and storage stability falls.
Validated Lab Benchmark — Standard PMA Mix vs Film (PG76-10E)
Controlled measured pairSame gradation, same 5.45% binder on mix, same volumetrics, near-equal true grade (79.6 vs 77.8°C). The PMA-modified mix matches or beats the film-modified PG76 binder on every metric. This is a mechanism advantage, not a grade advantage.
Mechanism — Why Families Differ
Neat / Plain
Resists rutting only through base stiffness. Once T20mm design temp nears the softening point, the binder flows under shear. Hard grades stiffen but lose relaxation → cracking risk.
Modified Binder (Film)
Wet process — raises softening point of the binder film. Elastomeric (SBS) adds elastic recovery; plastomeric stiffens but can embrittle at high dose.
Graphene PMA / SMA Skeleton
Dry-added graphene-polymer PMA (Gipave-type) or gap-graded SMA skeleton — reinforces the aggregate structure, not just the film. Graphene raises high-temp modulus and slows fatigue-crack growth, so rut resistance and life hold even as the binder softens.
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