Pave Track

Om mig:

The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT; www.ncat.us) is a cooperative venture between the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s (NAPA) Research and Education Foundation and Auburn University (AU). Industry’s financial endowment supports Auburn’s facilities and faculty in improving the performance of HMA pavements through research, education, and information services. The NCAT Pavement Test Track is one example of ongoing practical research. The inaugural NCAT Pavement Test Track (www.pavetrack.com) was constructed as a partnership between Auburn University and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). The 309-acre site was purchased by AU, with subsequent improvements (including earthwork, buildings and robust Track foundation) made by ALDOT. This investment makes it possible for other state DOTs to fund the operation of the Track in a prorated manner based upon the number of pavement test sections they choose to build and test in three-year project cycles. A design lifetime of truck traffic is then applied to the surface of experimental pavements in an accelerated manner. By comparing the performance of two or more sections, NCAT provides recommendations to member states on how to optimize performance (rutting, cracking, safety, etc.) and reduce the life cycle costs of their transportation infrastructures. Thus, the Pavement Test Track represents a microcosm of the national interstate system with 46 different test pavements representing the future of roadways in the US. Extensive resources are required to support the core mission of pavement research at the off-campus facility. A fleet of heavy triple trucks is run approximately 3,400 miles a day, 5 days a week in order to damage experimental pavements. To optimize fleet productivity and facilitate vehicle research, each truck is equipped with a wireless datalogger that captures key information from the onboard computer network. Sensors embedded in test sections monitor the environment as well as the pavement’s response to passing trucks. An extensive 802.11 wireless mesh network provides a common transmission platform for data streaming from the trucks as well as from the roadway. The mesh network is itself a state-of-the-art tool that provides for the seamless transmission of high-speed data as vehicles move around the perimeter of the Track in real time. Because the focus of the pavement research is in the outside lane, the inside lane of the Pavement Test Track is available for research requiring stop-and-start duty cycles. Additionally, a 2.1-mile off-road track facilitates research with all terrain vehicles and a ¼ mile DARPA track can be used for shorter stop-and-go duty cycles. The fleet staff of the Pavement Test Track is available to support supplemental testing of this nature, both on and off the Track. The Program for Advanced Vehicle Evaluation (otherwise known as the PAVE Research Institute) has been established at Auburn University in order to facilitate this complementary vehicle testing mission.