The thermomechanical behavior of bituminous materials and the durability of the asphalt-aggregate interface are key factors to predict pavement damage. This thesis attempts to assess the bonding quality between the bitumen and the aggregate by a original thermal method in the warm asphalt mix manufacturing conditions. It also aims to study the influence of the bonding quality on their mechanical performance. In chapter 1, various techniques of mechanical performances and bitumen-aggregate interface characterization are presented. These are essentially test for assessing the bitumen-aggregate stripping under water action. Chapters 2 and 3 provide a description of heat transfer mechanisms that occur when two bodies with different temperatures are put into contact. The theoretical background which allows to formulate and to solve the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP) to assess the thermal contact resistance (TCR) resulting from the contact between the bitumen and the aggregate are presented. The description of the experimental procedure to determine the TCR and the study of thermophysical properties and wettability of materials are given in chapters 4 and 5. The TCR is used as bitumen and aggregate bonding quality indicator and the results are presented and interpreted in chapter 6. Chapters 7 and 8 show additional mechanical performance results of asphalt mixes and bituminous binders, studied in the previous Chapters and used for the asphalt mixture formulation or for pavement design.
