This document specifies the Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) test method to determine the tensile strength or fracture toughness of an asphalt mixture for the assessment of the potential for crack propagation. The results of the test can be used to calculate:
- the maximum load that the material containing a notch (crack) can resist before failure;
- when the presence of a notch is critical.
It should be noted that the test only describes a method to determine the resistance to crack propagation of an asphalt mixture. The crack propagation phase describes the second part of failure mechanism during dynamic loading. The first phase, which is the crack initiation phase, is mainly covered by the fatigue test (EN 12697-24).