With escalating oil prices, pavement recycling is an attractive choice for road maintenance since
it allows considerable savings as compared to new construction. It also mitigates environmental
impacts, reduces the use of virgin materials, and minimizes transportation of materials off-site.
Recycling of asphalt pavements is based on two different techniques: Hot In-place Recycling
(HIR) and Cold In-place Recycling (CIR). Although CIR has significant advantages, the main
disadvantage concerns the assessment of the CIR before being overlaid.
Several mix design are currently available for CIR mix design to optimize the water content and
the emulsion for maximum strength. While the laboratory curing procedure for mix design
purposes is defined, identifying the curing duration in the field is a primary concern. The main
objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of the curing of the CIR on the life cycle of
asphalt concrete pavement. An experimental program was designed to identify the relationship
between the curing time and the modulus of elasticity. The output results of the experimental
program were used in an analytical investigation to study the effect of the curing time on
pavement lifecycle. The output results indicated that the curing time is a critical factor for
controlling the long-term performance of asphalt concrete pavement.