Introduction -- Objectives and summary -- Theoretical background -- Test methods -- Materials and specimen fabrication -- Uniaxial testing -- Determination of viscoelastic properties from IDT test -- Development of a simple performance test and validation -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Implementation and technology transfer plan -- References -- Appendices.
The design and construction of “long and deep” tunnels, i.e. tunnels under mountains, characterised by either considerable length and/or overburden, represent a considerable challenge. The scope of this book is not to instruct how to design and construct such tunnels but to share a method to identify the potential hazards related to the process of designing and constructing long and deep tunnels, to produce a relevant comprehensive analysis and listing, to quantify the probability and consequences, and to design proper mitigation measures and countermeasures. The design, developed using probabilistic methods, is verified during execution by means of the so called Plan for Advance of the Tunnel (PAT) method, which allows adapting the design and control parameters of the future stretches of the tunnel to the results of the stretches already finished, using the monitoring data base. Numerous criteria are given to identify the key parameters, necessary for the PAT procedure. Best practices of excavation management with the help of real time monitoring and control are also provided. Furthermore cost and time evaluation systems are analysed. Finally, contractual aspects related to construction by contract are investigated, for best development and application of models more appropriate for tunnelling-construction contracts. The work will be of interest to practising engineers, designers, consultants and students in mining, underground, tunnelling, transportation and construction engineering, as well as to foundation and geological engineers, urban planners/developers and architects.
Over the past decade, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) focused research efforts on improving mixture design to preclude rutting in the early life of the pavement, which also offered increased resistance to moisture damage, but fatigue cracking may surface in the long term particularly if the binder stiffens excessively due to aging. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate and recommend a fatigue analysis system for TxDOT designs to ensure adequate mixture fatigue performance in a particular pavement structure under specific environmental and loading conditions. A secondary goal of comparing fatigue resistance of commonly used TxDOT mixtures including investigating the effects of aging will also be realized.
Highway engineers are facing the challenge not only to design and construct sustainable and safe pavements properly and economically. This implies a thorough understanding of materials behaviour, their appropriate use in the continuously changing environment, and implementation of constantly improved technologies and methodologies. Bituminous Mixtures and Pavements VII contains more than 100 contributions that were presented at the 7th International Conference ‘Bituminous Mixtures and Pavements’ (7ICONFBMP, Thessaloniki, Greece 12-14 June 2019). The papers cover a wide range of topics: - Bituminous binders - Aggregates, unbound layers and subgrade - Bituminous mixtures (Hot, Warm and Cold) - Pavements (Design, Construction, Maintenance, Sustainability, Energy and environment consideration) - Pavement management - Pavement recycling - Geosynthetics - Pavement assessment, surface characteristics and safety - Posters Bituminous Mixtures and Pavements VII reflects recent advances in highway materials technology and pavement engineering, and will be of interest to academics and professionals interested or involved in these areas.
This project reviewed existing laboratory methods for accurately describing the constitutive behavior of the mixes used in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Indirect tensile (IDT) strength, resilient modulus, static creep in the IDT and uniaxial modes, flexural beam fatigue, and dynamic modulus tests were conducted on two typical mixes used in Virginia: SM-9.5A (surface mix) and BM-25.0 (base mix). The tests conducted produced a wealth of data on typical values for the properties of the two mixes studied over a wide range of temperatures and loading frequencies. The results suggest that the IDT strength test is an effective test to characterize the tensile strength of hot-mix asphalt (HMA), especially for thermal cracking evaluation. The resilient modulus test and the static creep test in the IDT setup are practical and simple to perform, but the analysis of the measurements is complicated, and the variability of the results is high. The compressive uniaxial dynamic modulus and the uniaxial static creep tests were found to be simple to conduct and to analyze because of the homogeneous state of stress in the specimen during testing. The flexural fatigue test was time consuming, but the test produces valuable information about the fatigue properties of hot-mix asphalt. The investigation also found good correlations among the IDT strength, resilient modulus, and dynamic modulus results. A variety of tests is recommended for characterizing the mechanistic-empirical pavement analysis and design. These tests would provide the properties needed to characterize the asphalt layers for the pavement analysis and design. The recommended tests are as follows: IDT strength for characterizing HMA susceptibility to thermal cracking, dynamic modulus for characterization of the constitutive behavior of the HMA, uniaxial creep for characterizing permanent deformation characteristics, and flexural fatigue tests to characterize fatigue properties. Materials characterization testing can be a valuable tool in pavement design. The use of mechanistic-empirical modeling can be used to predict the performance of a pavement. With this type of testing and modeling, the materials used in pavements will be of better quality and more resistant to environmental and structural deterioration. A more durable pavement will aid in reducing the frequency and costs associated with maintenance.
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 752: Improved Mix Design, Evaluation, and Materials Management Practices for Hot Mix Asphalt with High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Content describes proposed revisions to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) R 35, Superpave Volumetric Design for Hot Mix Asphalt, and AASHTO M 323, Superpave Volumetric Mix Design, to accommodate the design of asphalt mixtures with high reclaimed asphalt pavement contents.
