Integrating intelligent compaction technology and modulus-based testing for design verification

Abstract

The drive towards the adoption of mechanistic pavement design methodologies has led to the adoption of stiffness-based tests by several state highway agencies for earthwork quality control and possibly acceptance. Current field quality management (with or without stiffness-based devices) requires spot tests to be conducted at a few points for a specified lot size. For this reason, a process to represent the uniformity of the compaction in a continuous manner is crucial. Proof rolling or mapping of geomaterials using intelligent compaction (IC) rollers after completing the compaction can effectively assess the compaction uniformity of the compacted layers. A protocol for project acceptance of earthwork that integrates the IC roller with a deflection-based device is proposed. Through interaction with contractors and owner agency representatives and based on a database of IC and spot test results at numerous sites, utmost attention has been paid to making the protocol as real-time and practical as possible. The protocol seems to address some of the main concerns frequently raised as a reason for the lack of momentum in the implementation of the more mechanistic quality management approaches.