Publication Number: FHWA-RD-04-019
Date: October 2003

Texas Workshops Highlight High Performance Concrete Paving Software

More than 300 representatives from State and local highway agencies, contractors, and consulting engineering firms in Texas were introduced to the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) HIPERPAV (HIgh PERformance PAVing) software at workshops held this past summer in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and The Cement and Concrete Promotion Council of Texas (CCPC), the workshops looked at "What's Hot in Concrete Paving?" Topics included maturity, quality control, and hot weather paving, as well as the introduction to HIPERPAV. The workshops also featured discussion sessions designed to foster conversations among attendees with extensive experience with concrete paving and those new to the technology.

"The workshop program was developed because of a need to discuss hot weather concrete operations and pavement construction management with TxDOT districts and personnel that are getting more involved in concrete paving," said Robert Lopez, head of CCPC. "The demand has been so great that two workshops were required in Dallas and two in San Antonio to accommodate the high level of interest."

An additional workshop is scheduled for October 30 in San Antonio. Other areas of the State that have requested workshops include Austin, south Texas, and west Texas.

HIPERPAV is a Windows-based software program that provides guidance on the design and construction of concrete pavements and helps users anticipate and prevent pavement performance problems. The software was developed by The Transtec Group, Inc., under an FHWA contract. The program evaluates the potential for uncontrolled cracking in new full-depth jointed concrete pavements. This evaluation considers the impact that specific construction procedures, mix and pavement designs, and environmental factors might have over the initial period after the pavement is placed.

HIPERPAV has four input screens where a user enters information on a project's construction, environmental, mix, and general design parameters. The program then analyzes the input values using a series of predictions that estimate the amount of stress and strength that will develop in the concrete during the early phase of construction. If the analysis determines that the pavement will be prone to uncontrolled cracking, the user can modify one or more of the job variables and rerun the program until an acceptable combination of factors is reached. Ultimately, HIPERPAV can help highway agencies optimize their pavement designs, improve pavement performance, and cut costs.

A new version of the program, HIPERPAV II, is currently being tested. HIPERPAV II builds on the original's capabilities by also predicting the cracking behavior of continuously reinforced concrete pavements during the early-age period after pavement placement. This analysis includes the width and spacing of cracks. The new version also provides some information on how the pavement is expected to behave over time, based on the conditions present during construction. In addition, the software will provide capabilities to optimize concrete mix designs to meet specific performance criteria and to predict the early-age behavior of dowel bars in rigid pavements. HIPERPAV II is expected to be ready for release in the spring of 2004.

For more information on the Texas workshops, contact Dan Rozycki at Transtec, 512-451-6233 (email: dan@thetranstecgroup.com). To learn more about HIPERPAV or to obtain a copy of the software, contact Fred Faridazar at FHWA, 202-493-3076 (email: fred.faridazar@fhwa.dot.gov). Information is also available online at www.hiperpav.com or https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pccp/hipemain.cfm.

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