Utilising intelligent compaction meter values to evaluate construction quality of asphalt pavement layers

Abstract

While having been successfully used for soil compaction for many years, intelligent compaction (IC) technology is still relatively new for asphalt pavement construction. The correlation between Compaction Meter Value (CMV) from the IC compactor and the compaction degree of the asphalt layers is hard to identify, mainly due to: (1) multi-layer structure of the road, (2) non-linear behaviour of asphalt materials, and the measuring depth of the IC roller. In this study, the possibility of utilising CMV to evaluate the density of different asphalt pavement layers was examined. The displacements of the newly placed surface layer and the underlying layers under a vibratory roller were analysed using the original Witczak model and the multi-layer pavement analysis software BISAR. A method was proposed to filter the effects of the underlying layers on CMV. Data from two asphalt pavement IC compaction projects in Tennessee were employed to verify the proposed filtering method. Further laboratory methods to simulate the IC roller compaction were also discussed.

Keywords:

• intelligent compaction
• Compaction Meter Value
• Resonant Meter Value
• asphalt pavement

Acknowledgements

The University of Tennessee researchers would like to acknowledge the help and assistance from staff and engineers of TDOT, IC roller vendors, and construction contractors. The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein, and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the TDOT. Nor do the contents constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The funding for this study was provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The research contract was signed between the University of Tennessee and the TDOT.