The TSRST method consists of attaching the ends of a specimen (250 mm long and 60 mm in diameter or 50 x 50 mm cross section) to the frame of a device situated in a cooling chamber. The frame is rigid to keep the length of the specimen unchanged. As the temperature falls (at a rate of -10°C/hr), the specimen contracts and the tensile stress in the specimen rises because it is being held by the frame. The temperature at which the specimen cracks is the test result. This method has been standardized in AASHTO TP 10 and prEN 12697-46.
12.2.3.1 Semicircular Bending Test
The semicircular bend test method is described in prEN 12697-44. A half cylinder sample of compacted asphalt mixture is loaded using a three-point bending scheme. As a result, tensile stress is created at the bottom of sample. This test can be used either for testing fracture toughness (when the half cylinder has a crack sawed at the bottom center with a notch width of 0.35 ± 0.10 mm and a depth of 10 ± 0.2 mm) or for tensile strength (unnotched cylinder).
