This project is a major Office of Technology Applications (OTA) initiative to promote Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) findings in the asphalt area. It uses two mobile laboratories to provide State highway agencies with a hands-on demonstration of the SHRP SUPERPAVE design system and field management techniques.

The major objective of the project is to promote the SUPERPAVE Mix Design System, Mix Verification, and Volumetric Quality Control in the field. The typical project centers on transplanting a mobile lab to an active paving project at the invitation of the State. Once on site, State, contractor, and Federal engineers can witness, compare, and critique the test procedures and sequences.

The use of mobile laboratories for asphalt mix is ongoing, with the concepts of Mix Verification and Voids Acceptance having been demonstrated and field simulated in more than 50 States in the past 10 years. As an additional service, hundreds Federal and State contractors, engineers, and technicians have spent 2 to 5 days in a mobile laboratory learning and strengthening their skills in the asphalt mix area. In 1991, a formal 2-day workshop was added to the demonstration, and, in 1993, key elements of the SHRP SUPERPAVE mix design system were also added to the workshop. During 1994 and through the present, the laboratory provided field control on several projects using SUPERPAVE designed mixes. One of the trailers supported construction of the test track for the Performance Related Asphalt Specification in Reno, Nevada. The trailer developed the SUPERPAVE mix designs and assisted in the construction quality control testing for the track.

With the addition of the SUPERPAVE system, many States are expected to request repeat visits as they explore adoption of the new techniques. The mobile laboratory has supported other OTA activities, such as stone-matrix asphalt (SMA), and is expected to perform this support activity more frequently in the next few years.

Mobile laboratory (subject to scheduling), telephone and on-site assistance, speakers, and specialized workshops and seminars.

A report detailing the results of the field simulation was voted the "Best Paper of the Year 1991" by the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists. This report, Summary of Simulation Studies, is available from the project managers.

Click here to see Stone-Matrix asphalt project in Frederick, Maryland.

Summary of Simulation Studies, by J. D'Angelo and T. Ferragut, 1991.

SUPERPAVE brochures available from Research & Technology Reports Center.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration