To Prevent Failure, Begin with Better Bases

Better Roads Staff - May 06, 2013

Fatigue cracking usually links to inadequate road foundations By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Fatigue cracking in bituminous pavements is experienced by the public so often that it is considered just part of driving. Motorists endure it and assume it’s just part of ...

Superthin Concrete Overlays

Better Roads Staff - Oct 09, 2012

Spurred forward by some brave new thinking, the concrete pavement industry is working toward thinner concrete overlays these days – down to 3 inches, even 2 inches. “D” Construction crews finish a freshly placed section of bonded concrete overlay on ...

Highway Contractor

Better Roads Staff - Oct 09, 2012

Base Breakthroughs Researchers dig into sub-bases By John Latta A quick look at some recent research into sub-bases presented at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) GeoCongress 2012: State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering, held this spring in California, ...

Road Science

Better Roads Staff - Jun 09, 2012

Spreading the Wealth Asphalt emulsions mix oil with water As pavement preservation techniques tighten their beachheads in state, county and municipal road agencies, new attention is focused on surface treatments, thin asphalt surfacings and the asphalt emulsions that make them possible. Asphalt emulsions ...

RoadScience

Better Roads Staff - May 06, 2012

A Concrete Solution: Admixtures Change PCC Performance By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Portland cement concrete (PCC) is the most widely used structural material in transportation infrastructure, and it’s widely used for pavements as well. But the control of freshly mixed PCC properties is ...

Road Science

Better Roads Staff - Apr 06, 2012

Asphalt a la Carte Modifiers Control Mix Performance Petroleum (literally, rock oil) is one of the most important gifts of the union of carbon and hydrogen. But instead of being a simple compound (like water), petroleum is a natural product, a complex ...

Highway Contractor

Better Roads Staff - Dec 04, 2011

The Greening of America's Highways Words like sustainability, carbon footprint and environmental stewardship have dominated the construction industry for the past half-decade, driving some highway engineers to protest the buzz and beg their information sources to go back to covering advances ...

Road Science

Better Roads Staff - Oct 04, 2011

It's a Small, Smart World Nanotech era draws closer By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Nanotechnology offers long-term promise to boost performance of our highway, road and bridge infrastructure. New research is expanding and new applications are materializing. More recently, the long-term environmental impacts ...

RoadScience

Brooke Wisdom - Jan 01, 2011

Ternary Concrete Mixes Offer High Performance Reclaimed industrial byproducts play role in high-performance and ultra-high-performance mixes By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Ternary and quaternary portland cement concrete mixtures – those incorporating three or four products into their cementitious components – are providing transportation ...