Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer
Slide 1
Project Team: Haskell Lemon Construction Company, University of Oklahoma, Volvo Road Machinery, and EST Inc.
Award: $200,000
![Instrumented vibratory compactor.](images/Picture2.jpg)
A video clip is available (.wmv, 10.2 mb)
Slide 2 – The Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer Is a Roller Mounted Device
- Continuously senses the amplitude and frequency of vibrations of the compactor
- Estimates, in real-time, the quality (compacted density, stiffness) during the construction of an asphalt pavement
- Key features are the real-time monitoring of the compaction progress over the entire pavement
Slide 3 – Need
- Ruts, potholes, cracks and other forms of defects reduce the useful life of a pavement
- Improper or inadequate compaction is the most common cause of early degradation of asphalt pavements
Anticipated Advantages to Conventional Practice
- Instantaneous and complete evaluation of the pavement being compacted
- Higher efficiency and increased productivity
- Reduction in labor and fuel costs
- Reduction in the number of conventional spot tests
- Higher adaptability of compaction process to suit thin/thick lifts, soft/stiff subgrades, etc.
- Better quality resulting from uniform and optimum compaction
Slide 4 – Principle of Operation of the IACA
![Conceptualized drawing of the operation of the IACA.](images/iaca.jpg)
![flow chart showing the operation of the IACA](images/iaca_flow.jpg)
Slide 5 – IACA User Display
![screen shot of the IACA User Display. The display provides the current position of the roller, latitude and longitude, the temperature of the asphalt map, and the compacted density of the map.](images/iaca_screen_opt.jpg)
The IACA display provides real-time information on the density and the mat temperature to the roller operator at each location on the pavement during each roller pass.
Slide 6 – IACA "As-Built" Density Map
![Screen shot of the 'as-built' IACA density map. A photograph illustrates an area on the pavement that has inadequate compaction and the map illustrates how under compacted regions are displayed.](images/iaca_graph.jpg)
Concrete manhole cover
- Density information from the final pass of the roller can be used to compile the final density of the entire pavement. The color-coded map (red is 90%, green is 92%, yellow is 94%,) portrays the uniformity of compaction that was achieved.
- Areas in green indicate inadequate compaction or uncompacted areas resulting from relief features on the pavement surface).
- Uneven compaction can be investigated to determine the cause. In this case, soft subgrade had resulted in uneven compaction.
Slide 7 – Comparison of IACA and Non-nuclear Density Measurements
![Estimate density percentage over the length of the pavement.](images/density.jpg)
The density estimates of the IACA are comparable to those obtained by point-wise measurements using a non-nuclear gauge.
![The lower graph illustrates the comparison of the density measured from the roadway core and the estimated density.](images/iaca_nonnuclear.jpg)
The density estimates obtained using the IACA compare very favorably with density measured from roadway cores.