The cracking of asphalt mixture layers is the main type of deterioration of roads in Brazil, and this study aims to contribute to improve the knowledge of cracking processes in order to incorporate new mechanical parameters into road pavement projects. Computer modeling by the Discrete Element Method (DEM), permitted the simulation of the initiation and the propagation of cracking in a tensile test called Direct Circular Slotted Disc (Disk Shaped Compact), whose interpretation is based on the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics and considering an specific elastoplastic model known as the cohesive zone model (CZM). Results of Direct Circular Slotted Disc tests were obtained in laboratory and interpreted by numerical simulations using the discrete element method, with good results. The sensitivity of model response with respect to various mechanical parameters, such as the Young s modulus (E), the tensile strength (RT) and the fracture energy (Gf) was also analyzed. This last parameter (Gf) was obtained considering the area under the traction-displacement curve from the Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) test. The analyses were carried out considering the body as a homogeneous material, assigning to all particles identical properties. The 2D numerical model was analyzed using the commercial software PFC2D based on the discrete element method (MED).