Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85911
An IC he Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer (IACA), a quality-control tool that relates pavement re- sponses after a test strip correlation to an estimat- ed compaction value in real time, is almost ready for the commercial market after undergoing field evaluations through the Technology Partnerships Program (TPP). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provided a grant to Haskell Lemon Construction of Oklahoma City to develop and test the IACA technology. The Technology Partnerships Program, part of the Highways for LIFE initiative, helps private industry move late-stage prototypes – such as those designed to improve high- way quality or safety, or to reduce construction conges- tion – to the market faster. "The scale and complexity of the problems facing the road and transportation infrastructure in our country re- quires novel, collaborative partnerships between industry, research, and federal and state agencies," says Dr. Sesh Commuri, University of Oklahoma professor, who devel- oped the IACA concept. "It is exciting that the Highways for LIFE program is leading the charge in this effort." "The prototype developed in this study was shown to be rugged, easily installable on any vibratory compac- tor, and able to estimate pavement compaction levels in real time with accuracy suitable for its use as a quality- control device during the construction of asphalt pave- ments," concludes a Haskell Lemon report on the TPP project. Longer-Lasting Roads Good compaction of newly-placed hot-mix asphalt (HMA) is needed to ensure longer-lasting performance of the roadways. The IACA, which is mounted on pave- ment rollers, analyzes the pavement response from the 29a March 2012 Better Roads Analyzer T FHWA grant explores real-time compacting quality control 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 T1 T2 T3 T4 Test Location T5 T6, T7 IACA Estimated Modulus FWD Back Calculated Modulus A Technology Partnerships grant helped turn the Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer into a marketable quality-control tool for HMA pavements. roller vibrations and relates the responses to an estimat- ed compaction value of the pavement in real time. HMA is typically evaluated for acceptability after the rolling operations are completed. If the pavement compaction operations were not completed in a manner sufficient to achieve the required compaction level, the contractor's Modulus (MPa)