Abstract:In environments with high temperature and humidity variations conditions, the curing conditions of cement stabilized macadam do not meet the specifications. This leads to slow early strength development and cracking. This study aims to investigate the effects of actual environmental temperature, humidity, curing age, and early strength agent on the cracking characteristics of cement stabilized macadam. Variable temperature conditions are determined based on actual environmental temperature data. Four curing conditions are set according to different temperature (variable temperature and standard temperature) and humidity (relative humidity of 95%, 80%, and 65%). Three types of specimens are prepared with different early strength agent contents, and cured for 14 and 28 days, respectively. Cracking characteristics is tested through splitting, four-point bending flexural strength, four-point bending flexural modulus, and semi-circular bending tests. The results show that under variable temperature conditions, the cracking characteristics, including strength, rigidity, and toughness, is lower than that under standard temperature conditions. Among them, the decrease in splitting fracture work is the most significant, by 31.74%, and the flexural modulus is the smallest, by 8.60%. The lower the curing humidity, the more prone the cement stabilized macadam is to cracking. The incorporation of early strength agent can mitigate the negative effects of curing conditions. Scanning electron microscope observations reveal that variable temperature or lower humidity reduce the degree of cement hydration, while the addition of early strength agent enhances it. Based on correlation and reliability analysis, it is recommended to use the four-point bending test to assess the cracking characteristics of cement stabilized macadam.