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This is a practical paper which consists of investigating fracture behavior in asphalt concrete using an intrinsic cohesive zone model (CZM). The separation and traction response along the cohesive zone ahead of a crack tip is governed by an exponential cohesive law specifically tailored to describe cracking in asphalt pavement materials by means of softening associated with the cohesive law. Finite-element implementation of the CZM is accomplished by means of a user subroutine using the user element capability of the ABAQUS software, which is verified by simulation of the double cantilever beam test and by comparison to closed-form solutions. The cohesive parameters of finite material strength and cohesive fracture energy are calibrated in conjunction with the single-edge notched beam [SE(B)] test. The CZM is then extended to simulate mixed-mode crack propagation in the SE(B) test. Cohesive elements …