Standard Specification for

Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)

AASHTO Designation: M 325-08 (2012)1

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

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Washington, D.C. 20001

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Standard Specification for

Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)

AASHTO Designation: M 325-08 (2012) 1

1. SCOPE
1.1. This specification covers the design of Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) using the Superpave gyratory
compactor (SGC). The SMA design is based on the volumetric properties of the SMA in terms of
air voids (Va), the voids in mineral aggregate (VMA), and the presence of stone-on-stone contact.

1.2. This standard specifies minimum quality requirements for asphalt binder, aggregate, mineral filler,
and stabilizing additives for SMA mixture designs.

1.3. The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The U.S. Customary units in
parentheses are for information only.

1.4. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use.
It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. AASHTO Standards:
 M 320, Performance-Graded Asphalt Binder
 M 323, Superpave Volumetric Mix Design
 R 46, Designing Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)
 T 85, Specific Gravity and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate
 T 89, Determining the Liquid Limit of Soils
 T 90, Determining the Plastic Limit and Plasticity Index of Soils
 T 96, Resistance to Degradation of Small-Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in
the Los Angeles Machine
 T 104, Soundness of Aggregate by Use of Sodium Sulfate or Magnesium Sulfate
 T 283, Resistance of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures to Moisture-Induced Damage
 T 305, Determination of Draindown Characteristics in Uncompacted Asphalt Mixtures
 T 312, Preparing and Determining the Density of Asphalt Mixture Specimens by Means of the
Superpave Gyratory Compactor

2.2. ASTM Standards:

 D4791, Standard Test Method for Flat Particles, Elongated Particles, or Flat and Elongated
Particles in Coarse Aggregate
 D5821, Standard Test Method for Determining the Percentage of Fractured Particles in
Coarse Aggregate

TS-2d M 325-1 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
2.3. Asphalt Institute Publication:
 MS-2, Mix Design Methods for Asphalt Concrete and Other Hot-Mix Types

2.4. National Asphalt Pavement Association Publication:

 IS 127, Evaluation of Baghouse Fines for Hot Mix Asphalt

3. TERMINOLOGY
3.1. stone matrix asphalt (SMA)—a hot mix asphalt (HMA) consisting of two parts, a coarse aggregate
skeleton and a rich asphalt binder mortar. The mixture must have an aggregate skeleton with
coarse aggregate-on-coarse aggregate contact (generally referred to as stone-on-stone contact).
The coarse aggregate is generally considered to be that fraction of the aggregate retained on the
4.75-mm (No. 4) sieve but may be designated as other sizes.

3.2. air voids (Va)—the total volume of the small pockets of air between the coated aggregate particles
throughout a compacted paving mixture, expressed as a percent of the bulk volume of the
compacted paving mixture (Note 1).
Note 1—Term defined in the Asphalt Institute Publication MS-2.

3.3. voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA)—the volume of the intergranular void space between the
aggregate particles of a compacted paving mixture that includes the air voids and the effective
binder content, expressed as a percent of the total volume of the specimen (Note 1).

3.4. voids in the coarse aggregate (VCA)—the volume between the coarse aggregate particles. This
volume includes filler, fine aggregate, air voids, asphalt binder, and stabilizing additive (if used).

3.5. SMA mortar—a mixture of asphalt binder, filler [material passing the 0.075-mm (No. 200) sieve],
and stabilizing additive.

3.6. stabilizing additive—either cellulose or mineral fiber.

4. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

4.1. This standard may be used for designing and evaluating material and mixture properties for SMA.

5. ASPHALT BINDER REQUIREMENTS

5.1. The asphalt binder shall be a performance grade meeting the requirements of M 320, which is
appropriate for the climate and traffic-loading conditions at the site of the paving project.
Guidance for the selection of the appropriate asphalt binder is provided in M 323.

6. AGGREGATE REQUIREMENTS
6.1. Aggregates used in SMA shall conform to the requirements listed below.

6.1.1. Coarse Aggregate—Coarse aggregates shall be 100 percent crushed and conform to the quality
requirements of Table 1.

6.1.2. Fine Aggregate—Fine aggregates shall be 100 percent crushed and conform to the quality
requirements of Table 2.

TS-2d M 325-2 AASHTO

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Table 1—Coarse Aggregate Quality Requirements
Test Method Minimum Maximum
Los Angeles (L.A.) abrasion, T 96 — 30a
% loss
Flat and elongated, %b 3 to 1 ASTM D4791 — 20
5 to 1 ASTM D4791 — 5
Absorption, percent T 85 — 2.0
Soundness (5 cycles), %c T 104
Sodium sulfate or — 15
Magnesium sulfate — 20
Crushed content, % ASTM D5821
One face 100 —
Two face 90 —
a
Aggregates with higher L.A. abrasion values have been used successfully to produce SMA mixes. However, when the L.A. abrasion exceeds 30,
excessive breakdown may occur in the laboratory compaction process or during in-place compaction.
b
Flat and elongated criteria apply to the design aggregate blend.
c
Sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate may be used. It is not a requirement to perform both methods.

Table 2—Fine Aggregate Quality Requirements

Test Method Minimum Maximum
Soundness (5 cycles), %a T 104
Sodium sulfate or — 15
Magnesium sulfate — 20
Liquid limit, % T 89 — 25
Plasticity index, % T 90 Nonplastic
a
Sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate may be used. It is not a requirement to perform both methods.

7. MINERAL FILLER
7.1. Mineral filler shall consist of finely divided mineral matter such as crusher fines and fly ash.
At the time of use, it should be sufficiently dry to flow freely and essentially free from
agglomerations. Filler shall be free from organic impurities and have a plasticity index not
greater than four.
Note 2—It is recommended that mineral fillers with modified Rigden voids (IS 127) higher
than 50 percent not be used in SMA. Experience has shown that fillers exceeding 50 percent
excessively stiffen the SMA mortar.

8. STABILIZING ADDITIVE
8.1. A stabilizer such as cellulose or mineral fiber will be added to the mixture. The dosage rate for
cellulose shall be approximately 0.3 percent or more by total mixture mass and sufficient to
prevent draindown. For mineral fibers, the dosage rate shall be approximately 0.4 percent by total
mixture mass and sufficient to prevent draindown. The maximum draindown will be 0.3 percent
by weight of the mix when held at the plant temperature for 1 h.
Note 3—If the draindown from the plant-produced samples exceeds the draindown from
laboratory-prepared samples, the quantity of the stabilizer should be increased. To maximize
durability (through binder volume), fibers also can be added regardless of draindown.

TS-2d M 325-3 AASHTO

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9. SMA DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
9.1. The combined aggregates shall conform to the gradation requirements of Table 3. When the bulk
specific gravities of the different stockpiles to be used in the mixture vary by more than 0.2, the
trial blend gradations shall be based on the volumetric percentage.

Table 3—SMA Gradation Specification Bands

Sieve, Nominal-Maximum Aggregate Size
mm 19 mm (3/4 in.) 12.5 mm (1/2 in.) 9.5 mm (3/8 in.)
(in.) Lower Upper Lower Upper Lower Upper
25.0 mm 100
(1 in.)
19.0 mm 90 100 100
(3/4 in.)
12.5 mm 50 88 90 100 100
(1/2 in.)
9.5 mm 25 60 50 80 70 95
(3/8 in.)
4.75 mm 20 28 20 35 30 50
(No. 4)
2.36 mm 16 24 16 24 20 30
(No. 8)
1.18 mm — — — — — 21
(No. 16)
0.60 mm — — — — — 18
(No. 30)
0.30 mm — — — — — 15
(No. 50)
0.075 mm 8.0 11.0 8.0 11.0 8.0 12.0
(No. 200)

9.2. The designed SMA mixture shall meet the requirements of Table 4.

Table 4—SMA Mixture Specifications for Superpave Gyratory Compactora

Property Requirement
Air voids, % 4.0 (Note 4)
VMA, % 17.0 min
VCAMIX, % Less than VCADRC (Note 6)
TSR 0.80 min
Draindown at production temperature, % 0.3 max
Asphalt binder content, % 6.0 min (Note 7)
a
SMA Mixture Specifications refer to specimens compacted in accordance with T 312 at 100 gyrations (Note 5).

Note 4—For low-traffic-volume roadways or colder climates, target air void contents less than
4.0 percent can be used, but should not be less than 3.0 percent.
Note 5—When aggregates have a Los Angeles abrasion loss value greater than 30 percent, the
desirable number of SGC design gyrations is 75.
Note 6—See R 46 for instructions on calculating VCAMIX and VCADRC.
Note 7—Experience has shown that binder contents should be from 6.0 to 7.0 percent. Lowering
the binder content below 6.0 percent can detrimentally affect the durability of the SMA. When an
SMA mix cannot be designed within the minimum binder content requirements of Table 4 using
the available aggregates, refer to the guidance given on this issue in R 46.

TS-2d M 325-4 AASHTO

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9.3. The tensile strength ratio (TSR) of the SMA shall be at least 0.80, at 6.0 ± 1.0 percent air voids,
when tested in accordance with T 283.

9.4. Draindown sensitivity shall be determined on the SMA mixture in accordance with T 305 at the
anticipated plant-production temperature and shall not exceed 0.3 percent.

1
Formerly AASHTO Provisional Standard MP 8. First published as a full standard in 2008.

TS-2d M 325-5 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.