Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/953148
March 2018 | EquipmentWorld.com 56 Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State has determined a way to mitigate that problem, "but unfor- tunately, susceptible projects have already been built," he says. "There's a lot of research on reducing the use of joints because that's where the problems come in, and with CRCP, you can pretty much eliminate the joints." Contractor considerations Because of CRCP's price and rela- tively new use, a lot of transporta- tion agencies and contractors stay with what they know – jointed plain pavement, says Bill Davenport, spokesman for the American Con- crete Pavement Association (ACPA). "We're using dowel bars and tie bars, so we are using steel, obvi- ously, in a lot of our concrete pavements, but the jointed plain is probably the most prevalent," he says. "That has to do with cost but also the experience of the contrac- tors with that type of pavement." Some say CRCP is more labor- intensive because it involves placing and tying more steel for continuous reinforcement, which adds to cost. The bars come in 60-foot lengths. But Gerald Voigt, ACPA's president and CEO, doesn't see much differ- ence between jointed concrete pave- ment and CRCP. "In fact, CRCP can be a more uniform placement since the steel is continuous, and with jointed concrete pavement, there are dowel baskets every 15 feet." "The learning curve is probably more about steel placement, splicing and fastening," Voigt adds. "Vibra- tion is one consideration, so the contractor has to have this set up properly to ensure quality, since the vibration has to get consolidation below the steel." Eric Ferrebee, ACPA technical ser- vice engineer, says a consistent mix must be properly consolidated. "The consolidation is key for CRCP, as the concrete needs to ad- equately bond to the steel for proper performance," Ferrebee says. Plei, who has viewed most CRCP projects in the nation, says he's met Texas contractors who love CRCP and won't build jointed pavement. He notes that Texas hit a record in August with 1 million square yards of CRCP bid. Because of their vast experience and other factors, Texas contractors also tend to build at much lower prices than in the rest of the country, Plei says. "The Texans are so used to build- ing it, they do it efficiently," Plei says. "For the contractors outside of Texas who build maybe one CRCP (project) every 10 years, the crews need to pay attention a little more." road technology | continued