Investigation on the Feasibility of Different Semicircular Bend Methods for Asphalt Concrete

Table 5

Feasibility analysis of different methods.

Test method	Advantages	Drawbacks	Priority
Moving support only	Notch remains in the mid-span, easy preparation	Cracks generate and propagate from the support, and the fracture initiation angle is discrete	4
Moving notch only	Easy preparation, cracks first generate and propagate from notch tip.	The vicinity of support is severely damaged in the pure shear mode	2
Changing notch angle only	Cracks propagate at the notch tip	The angle control requirements are high, and when the span is small, it will be destroyed first near the support, and it is difficult to measure in the pure shear mode	3
Moving support and notch synchronously	Notch is easy to be cut, cracks propagate along the notch tip, and good repeatability	High accuracy requirement for notch position	1