Project 0-6868

Novel Material Systems for the Next Generation Flexible Pavement Structures

Abstract

The Infrastructure Report Card I published by the American Society of Civil Engineers indicates that US highway infrastructure is in need of a significant upgrade. The numerous challenges to fund such a mammoth undertaking are compounded by demands placed on the highway system from extreme climate patterns and the desire to develop highway systems that are more sustainable. On the other hand, this challenge provides an opportunity to develop a novel approach to design pavement systems and to integrate viable advanced technologies to the process. The Performing Agency shall investigate and demonstrate novel material systems for flexible highway pavements that will be significantly more sustainable than what is used today, and will also provide longer performance life-cycles that will help the bottom-line. This is a multidisciplinary research effort executed by a diverse team of experts in chemical processing, molecular material simulation, construction process/cost engineering, sustainable life-cycle assessment, thermal systems, geotechnical engineering and pavement engineering. The Performing Agency shall evaluate factory precast asphalt concrete slobs containing embedded systems for feasibility in Phase I of the research and hopes to implement it in a large scale laboratory setting in Phase II and in a field-scale setting in Phase Ill.

Project PI: Sanjaya Senadheera

Researchers:

Ronald Hedden
Darryl James
Priyantha Jayawickrama
Rajesh Khare
Daan Liang
Hong-Chao Zhang

Project Duration:2015-2016