Introduction

Evaluation of the performance of in-service pavements is often necessary to be able to compare it with similar pavements elsewhere or to determine the effectiveness of specific design features. Depending upon the situation, an evaluation may be accomplished either by adding sensors to an existing facility or by installing sensors at the time of construction to monitor responses and resolve the issue in question. It is imperative that proper sensors be selected, they be installed correctly to obtain the desired data, and accurate data be acquired under known environmental and traffic loading conditions.

Features

ORITE has worked closely with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration in monitoring several pavements around the state of Ohio. These activities include:

• Instrumentation of six test sections to evaluate the structural performance of an asphalt concrete pavement on U.S. 33 near Bellefontaine.
• Instrumentation of nine test sections to evaluate the structural performance of a portland cement concrete pavement on S.R. near Vermillion.
• Instrumentation of fiberglass dowel bars to assess their performance in a portland cement concrete pavement on U.S. 35 near Gallipolis.
• Instrumentation of 18 test sections for seasonal monitoring and 33 test sections for dynamic response on the Ohio SHRP Test Pavement on U.S. 23 north of Delaware.

Application

The most recent pavement activity at ORITE involves the evaluation of portland cement concrete pavement on U.S. 50 east of Athens where ground granulated blast furnace (GGBF) slag is being added to enhance performance. GGBF slag is a cementious by-product of the steel industry. When added to concrete, it increases strength, reduces permeability, and improves resistance to freeze/thaw and sulfates. It is believed these attributes will extend the service life of this pavement, lower life cycle costs, and make use of a waste material. ORITE personnel installed sensors during construction to monitor environmental and dynamic load response of the pavement, and to compare results obtained on sections containing GGBF slag with results obtained on sections without the GGBF slag. Also, as part of this project, personnel have instrumented dowel bars, used to transfer load from one section to the next, to evaluate the response from different types and sizes of dowels.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

Dr. Shad Sargand
Associate Director, ORITE
141 Stocker Center
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
(740) 593-2476
(740) 593-0625 Fax

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