U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Focus
| Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-09-017
Date: September 2009
From the fundamentals of materials used for concrete pavements to troubleshooting techniques, an array of free online training courses on materials and construction practices for concrete pavements are available from the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC), in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) National Highway Institute (NHI). The TCCC's members include representatives from FHWA, NHI, regional State training and certification groups, several American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials subcommittees, and industry associations.
Developed in conjunction with the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University and FHWA's Office of Pavement Technology, the training covers everything from concrete durability to cement hydration.
"The Web courses are self-paced and brief in duration, intended to provide basic principles to construction personnel within State and local transportation agencies, FHWA, and industry," says Christopher Newman of FHWA. "These courses are an ideal training tool for construction crews."
Offering an overview of quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) concepts and definitions, this module is part of a curriculum from the Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement (IMCP) manual developed by the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center.
| "The Web courses are self-paced and brief in duration, intended to provide basic principles to construction personnel within State and local transportation agencies, FHWA, and industry." |
The module looks at durability as a property of hardened concrete and how it is essential for long-lasting pavements. The training discusses factors that contribute to durable concrete, as well as such topics as permeability, frost resistance, sulfate resistance, alkali silica attack, and abrasion resistance.
Participants will learn about the materials used in portland cement concrete and how they play an invaluable role in the performance of the concrete. The training covers both nonreactive and reactive materials, including aggregates, curing compound, and reinforcement.
 |
 |
| The online concrete construction training courses cover everything from materials to troubleshooting techniques. |
The module covers the incompatibilities of materials used in portland cement concrete. Although certain materials are acceptable on their own, when combined they are not compatible with each other. This can lead to early stiffening, retardation, cracking, and the lack of a quality air void system, all of which can affect workability, finished quality, and the long-term performance of the concrete.
This module discusses basic principles of mix design and mix proportioning. Mix design is the process of choosing the characteristics of theconcrete mixture, while mix proportioning involves taking the information provided by the mix design process and using it to determine the actual proportions of ingredients in the mixture. The course discusses how designers use theoretical, laboratory, and field testing to determine the concrete mix that will achieve the best possible durability, strength, constructibility, economy, and uniformity.
The module examines why early age cracking occurs, which is defined as those cracks that occur before the concrete is open to public traffic, and how to eliminate or control the problem during construction. One solution featured is to control cracks through jointing, enabling the concrete to crack below a saw joint to relieve the stress.
The course explains how a concrete mixture changes from a plastic state to become a solid concrete slab in a relatively short period of time. Central to this transformation is a complex process known as hydration, which is an irreversible series of chemical reactions between water and cement. An understanding of this concept is useful to construction crews, as it relates to concrete placement and curing.
Participants will learn how to prepare fresh concrete so as to produce high-quality, long lasting pavements. The training also looks at how to monitor the concrete's properties, recognize the principles of quality construction, and identify proper material handling.
This module covers concrete paving operations, including the placing, finishing, curing, and sawing of the concrete. The module also looks at how to identify proper material handling.
Participants will learn how the principles of pavement design and subgrade concepts relate to materials and construction. The module provides construction crews with insights into the primary goal of pavement design, which is to produce safe, long lasting, cost-effective, low maintenance, and constructible pavements.
The module uses a series of case studies to highlight the identification and diagnosis of problems related to concrete pavement, both pre- and postconstruction. Using information available in the IMCP manual, participants will practice developing a plan to address issues they might encounter in the field.
All of the training courses in the TCCC concrete series are available for scheduling at any time through the NHI online course catalog (www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/brows_catalog.aspx). For additional information on the TCCC courses, contact Christopher Newman at FHWA, 202-366-2023 (email: christopher.newman@fhwa.dot.gov). To learn more about the TCCC's many training resources, visit www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/tccc.
 |
| A two-lift concrete pavement test section under construction in Pleasanton, KS, in June 2008 on U.S. 69 and East 1100 Road. |
