PURPOSES : It is well known that low temperature cracking is one of the most serious distresses on asphalt pavement, especially for northern U.S. (including Alaska), Canada and the northern part of south Korea. The risk of thermal cracking can be numerically measured by estimating thermal stress of a given asphalt mixture. This thermal stress can be computed by low temperature creep testing. Currently, in-direct tensile (IDT) mixture creep test mentioned in AASHTO specification is used for measuring low temperature creep properties of a given asphalt mixture. However, IDT requires the use of expensive testing equipment for performing the sophisticated analysis process, however, very few laboratories utilize this equipment. In this paper, a new and simple performance test (SPT) method: bending beam rheometer (BBR) mixture creep testing equipment is introduced, and the estimated experimental results were compared with those of conventional IDT tests. METHODS: Three different asphalt mixtures containing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and roofing shingles were prepared in the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) research laboratory. Using the BBR and IDT, the low temperature creep stiffness data were measured and subsequently computed. Using a simple power-law function, the creep stiffness data were converted into relaxation modulus, and subsequently compared. Finally, thermal stress results were computed from relaxation modulus master curve using Gaussian quadrature approach with condierations of 24 Gauss number. RESULTS: In the case of the conventional asphalt mixture, similar trends were observed when the relaxation modulus and thermal stress results were compared. In the case of RAP and Shingle added mixtures, relatively different computation results were obtained. It can be estimated that different experimental surroundings and specimen sizes affected the results. CONCLUSIONS: It can be said that the BBR mixture creep test can be a more viable approach for measuring low temperature properties of asphalt mixture compared to expensive and complex IDT testing methods. However, more extensive research and analysis are required to further verify the feasibility of the BBR mixture creep test.

PURPOSES : The performance of pavements is decreased by reduced bearing capacity, deterioration, and distress due to complex loading conditions such as traffic and environmental loads. Therefore, the proper maintenance of pavements must be performed, and accurate evaluation of pavement conditions is essential. In order to improve the accuracy of the heavy weight deflectometer (HWD), which is a nondestructive evaluation method, the correlation between HWD test results and temperature factors were analyzed in this study. METHODS : The HWD test was conducted five times for one day on airport concrete pavement, and the ambient temperature, surface temperature, and slab internal temperature were collected. Since the slab internal temperature was nonlinear, it was replaced by the equivalent linear temperature difference (ELTD). The correlation between the HWD test results and each temperature factor was analyzed by the coefficient of correlation and coefficient of determination. RESULTSAND: The deflection of the slab center, mid edge, and corner, and impulse stiffness modulus (ISM) showed significantly high correlation with each temperature factor, especially the ELTD. However, the load transfer Efficiency (LTE) had very low correlation with the temperature factors. CONCLUSIONS : It is necessary to analyze the effect of aggregate interlocking on LTE according to the overall temperature changes in slabs by conducting seasonal HWD tests. It is also necessary to confirm the effect of seasonal temperature changes on deflection and ISM.

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to verity the applicability of a portable small-loop electromagnetic survey method to underground cavity detection. METHODS: In order to evaluate applicability of the method, a test bed comprised of four sections was constructed. The two sizes of the four cavities artificially formed at two depths were contained in the test bed. Each cavity was positioned at center of each 6 m long section. Four types of pavement materials such as unpaved ground, bricks, asphalt, and concrete were used at every section. The portable small-loop electromagnetic device measured electrical conductivity as an exploration signal that varied according to the electrical properties underground. The electrical conductivity was converted into two-dimensional electrical resistivity distribution sections using an inverse analysis program. RESULTS : The results showed that the electrical resistivity of the non-cavity area was lower than that of the cavity area. The electrical resistivity increased as the measurement device moved closer to the cavity position. It was also found that the electrical resistivity values were not significantly affected by pavement type. The small cavity with diameter of 35 cm could be detected up to 1.2 m depth. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, it was verified that the portable small-loop electromagnetic survey method is applicable to the detection of cavities in sections where ground subsidence is expected. This method can be effectively used for small-scale roads such as sidewalks, parkways, and side streets where large exploration equipment cannot enter.

PURPOSES : Previously, airport concrete pavement was designed using only aircraft gear loading without consideration of environmental loading. In this study, a multiple-regression model was developed to predict maximum tensile stress of airport concrete pavement based on finite element analysis using both environmental and B777 aircraft gear loadings. METHODS: A finite element model of airport concrete pavement and B777 aircraft main gears were fabricated to perform finite element analysis. The geometric shape of the pavement, material properties of the layers, and the loading conditions were used as input parameters for the finite element model. The sensitivity of maximum tensile stress of a concrete slab according to the variation in each input parameter was investigated by setting the ranges of the input parameters and performing finite element analysis. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, influential factors affecting the maximum tensile stress were found to be used as independent variables of the multi regression model. The maximum tensile stresses predicted by both the multiple regression model and finite element model were compared to verify the validity of the model developed in this study. RESULTS: As a result of the finite element analysis, it was determined that the maximum tensile stress developed at the bottom of the slab edge where gear loading was applied in the case that environmental loading was small. In contrast, the maximum tensile stress developed at the top of the slab center situated between the main gears in the case that the environmental loading got larger. As a result of the sensitivity analysis and multiple regression analysis, a maximum tensile stress prediction model was developed. The independent variables used included the joint spacing, slab thickness, the equivalent linear temperature difference between the top and bottom of the slab, the maximum take-off weight of a B777 aircraft, and the composite modulus of the subgrade reaction. The model was validated by comparing the predicted maximum tensile stress to the result of the finite element analysis. CONCLUSIONS : The research shown in this paper can be utilized as a precedent study for airport concrete pavement design using environmental and aircraft gear loadings simultaneously.

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to analyze the magnitude of shoving of asphalt pavement by junction type between airport concrete and asphalt pavements, and to suggest a junction type to reduce shoving. METHODS : The actual pavement junction of a domestic airport, which is called airport “A”was modified by placing the bottom of the buried slab on the top surface of the subbase. A finite element model was developed that simulated three junction types: a standard section of junction proposed by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), an actual section of junction from airport “A”and a modified section of junction from airport“ A”. The vertical displacement of the asphalt surface caused by the horizontal displacement of the concrete pavement was investigated in the three types of junction. RESULTS: A vertical displacement of approximately 13 mm occurred for the FAA standard section under horizontal pushing of 100 mm, and a vertical displacement of approximately 55 mm occurred for the actual section of airport “A”under the same level of pushing. On the other hand, for the modified section from airport“ A”a vertical displacement of approximately 17 mm occurred under the same level of pushing, which is slightly larger than the vertical displacement of the FAA standard section. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that shoving of the asphalt pavement at the junction could be reduced by placing the bottom of the buried slab on the top surface of the subbase. It was also determined that the junction type suggested in this study was more advantageous than the FAA standard section because it resists faulting by the buried slab that is connected to the concrete pavement. Faulting of the junctions caused by aircraft loading will be compared by performing finite element analysis in the following study.

PURPOSES : In this study, the propriety of expansion joint spacing of airport concrete pavement was examined by using weather and material characteristics. METHODS: A finite element model for simulating airport concrete pavement was developed and blowup occurrence due to temperature increase was analyzed. The critical temperature causing the expansion of concrete slab and blow up at the expansion joint was calculated according to the initial vertical displacement at the joint. The amount of expansion that can occur in the concrete slab for 20 years of design life was calculated by summing the expansion and contraction by temperature, alkali-silica reaction, and drying shrinkage. The effective expansion of pavement section between adjacent expansion joints was calculated by subtracting the effective width of expansion joint from the summation of the expansion of the pavement section. The temperature change causing the effective expansion of pavement section was also calculated. The effective expansion equivalent temperature change was compared to the critical temperature, which causes the blowup, according to expansion joint spacing to verify the propriety of expansion joint applied to the airport concrete pavement. RESULTS: When an initial vertical displacement of the expansion joint was 3mm or less, the blowup never occurred for 300m of joint spacing which is used in Korean airports currently. But, there was a risk of blow-up when an initial vertical displacement of the expansion joint was 5mm or more due to the weather or material characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that the intial vertical displacement at the expansion joint could be managed below 3mm from the previous research results. Accordingly it was concluded that the 300m of current expansion joint spacing of Korean airports could be used without blowup by controling the alkali-silica reaction below its allowable limit.

PURPOSES : In this study, the pavement condition of non-mill-and-overlay and mill-and-overlay on deteriorated concrete pavement was compared. In addition, the suitable time to perform the initial overlay was investigated.METHODS : The condition of the pavement sections that were not additionally overlaid on non-mill-and-overlay or mill-and-overlay on deteriorated concrete pavements was investigated according to overlay pavement age. The condition of non-mill-and-overlay and mill-andoverlay sections of expressway route 25, which has more information on overlay history than other routes, was compared according to the number of times of overlay. The relation between the concrete pavement condition just before the overlay and the number of times of overlay was investigated for the non-mill-and-overlay and mill-and-overlay sections for which the first overlay was performed in the same year.RESULTS: The pavement condition of the non-mill-and-overlay sections was better than that of the mill-and-overlay sections, showing higher Highway Pavement Condition Index(HPCI) regardless of overlay pavement age. The number of reflection crackings of the non-mill-and-overlay sections was smaller than that of the mill-and-overlay sections. As a result of observing the cores obtained from the overlay sections, the proportion of the deteriorated non-mill-and-overlay sections was smaller than that of the mill-and-overlay sections. The SD measured just before the overlay on the concrete pavement for which additional overlay was not performed was smaller than that for which additional overlay was performed regardless of the milling of the concrete slab surface. The HPCI of the concrete pavement for which overlay was performed just once was higher than that for which overlay was performed more than one time.CONCLUSIONS : Accordingly, it was concluded that the condition of the non-mill-and-overlay sections was better than that of the milland-overlay sections. In addition, the better the condition of concrete pavement just before the initial overlay, the longer the duration of the overlay effect.

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to develop a regression model to predict the International Roughness Index(IRI) and Surface Distress(SD) for the estimation of HPCI using Expressway Pavement Management System(PMS).METHODS : To develop an HPCI prediction model, prediction models of IRI and SD were developed in advance. The independent variables considered in the models were pavement age, Annual Average Daily Traffic Volume(AADT), the amount of deicing salt used, the severity of Alkali Silica Reaction(ASR), average temperature, annual temperature difference, number of days of precipitation, number of days of snowfall, number of days below zero temperature, and so on.RESULTS : The present IRI, age, AADT, annual temperature differential, number of days of precipitation and ASR severity were chosen as independent variables for the IRI prediction model. In addition, the present IRI, present SD, amount of deicing chemical used, and annual temperature differential were chosen as independent variables for the SD prediction model.CONCLUSIONS: The models for predicting IRI and SD were developed. The predicted HPCI can be calculated from the HPCI equation using the predicted IRI and SD.

PURPOSES: In this study, a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) model for airport concrete pavement was developed using the commercial program ABAQUS. Users can select an analysis method and set the range of input parameters to reflect actual conditions such as environmental loading.METHODS : The geometrical shape of the FEA model was chosen by considering the concrete pavement located in the third-stage construction site of Incheon International Airport. Incompatible eight-node elements were used for the FEA model. Laboratory test results for the concrete specimens fabricated at the construction site were used as material properties of the concrete slab. The material properties of the cement-treated base suggested by the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) manual were used as those of the lean concrete subbase. In addition, preceding studies and pavement evaluation reports of Incheon International Airport were referred for the material properties of asphalt base and subgrade. The kinetic friction coefficient between the concrete slab and asphalt base acquired from a preceding study was used for the friction coefficient between the layers. A nonlinear temperature gradient according to slab depth was used as an input parameter of environmental loading, and a quasistatic method was used to analyze traffic loading. The average load transfer efficiency obtained from an Heavy falling Weight Deflectomete(HWD) test was converted to a spring constant between adjacent slabs to be used as an input parameter. The reliability of the FEA model developed in this study was verified by comparing its analysis results to those of the FEAFAA model.RESULTS : A series of analyses were performed for environmental loading, traffic loading, and combined loading by using both the model developed in this study and the FEAFAA model under the same conditions. The stresses of the concrete slab obtained by both analysis models were almost the same. An HWD test was simulated and analyzed using the FEA model developed in this study. As a result, the actual deflections at the center, mid-edge, and corner of the slab caused by the HWD loading were similar to those obtained by the analysis.CONCLUSIONS : The FEA model developed in this study was judged to be utilized sufficiently in the prediction of behavior of airport concrete pavement.