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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>RES2020-09: Enhancing freeze-thaw resistance of Tennessee concrete mixes through improved air void testing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1716726</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The quality of the air void system in concrete is critical for the freeze-thaw durability and service life of concrete
structures. In Tennessee, the current Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) specification only specifies
the air content for fresh concrete mixes. Currently, the most widely used methods to evaluate the freeze-thaw
durability and the air void system of concrete include ASTM C666 test, ASTM C457 test, and Air Void Analyzer
(AVA) test. However, these test methods are unsuitable for fresh concrete mixes in the field for QC/QA purposes.
This study investigates the applicability of Super Air Meter (SAM) to TDOT concrete mixes and the suitability of
SAM number as a QC/QA tool for freeze-thaw resistance and determines the acceptance criterion for the SAM
number if it can be adopted for QC/QA purposes. The results show that for TDOT concrete mixes, only the fresh
air content requirement (e.g., 4%~8% for Class A, 4.5%~7.5% for Class D) does not necessarily guarantee high
quality of air void system and enough freeze-thaw resistance. SAM number shows a decreasing trend with the
increase of air content of fresh concrete. There is a good correlation between SAM number and freeze-thaw
durability factor/spacing factor for TDOT concrete mixes. Therefore, using air content and SAM number as a
QC/QA tool for TDOT concrete mixes is feasible. From a conservative perspective, 0.2 can be used as the threshold
of SAM number to ensure TDOT concrete mixes have satisfactory freeze-thaw resistance. In addition, it is also
feasible to use 0.3 as the upper limit of SAM number for TDOT concrete mixes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2020 16:08:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1716726</guid>
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      <title>Guidelines for Limiting Damage to Flexible and Composite Pavements Due to the Presence of Water



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1331750</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State DOTs are familiar with incidents where pavements suffer unexpected failure due to the presence of water. Typically, significant maintenance or even major rehabilitation is needed to remedy such damage. Past studies have identified many factors that contribute to water-induced damage, over and above those related to the paving materials. Despite the wealth of information on water-induced damage in the technical literature, there is a need for guidelines that identify best practices to limit damage to pavements from water intrusion. These best practices are documented in numerous sources and are practiced by experienced pavement engineers; however, the information has not been assembled in one convenient location. The target audience of the guidelines should be practicing engineers. These guidelines should focus on strategies to limit damage due to the presence of water when constructing, maintaining, or rehabilitating flexible or composite pavement systems.
 
The objectives of this research were to develop (1) guidelines for the practicing engineer, in the form of a proposed AASHTO standard practice, for limiting water-induced damage to new and existing flexible and composite pavements and (2) a syllabus and materials for a 1-day training course on the use of the guidelines by practicing engineers.

The guidelines shall be targeted to practitioners in the pavement and materials engineering community. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:04:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1331750</guid>
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      <title>An Asset Management Approach for Drainage Infrastructures &amp; Culverts</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1228645</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Asset management procedures for drainage infrastructure systems are complex issues. The first and most important step in an asset management initiative is the establishment of asset inventory and asset conditions. As stressed by MDOT and ODOT, the focus of any drainage infrastructure systems should first focus on geospatial inventory and condition assessment in a format compatible with the routine procedures of field operators and inspectors. There is a need for developing field protocols and operational business rules for inventory data collection and management and inspection of drainage infrastructures in terms of type of data to be collected, frequency of inspection, and analysis and reporting mechanisms. Such protocols and business rules would be reviewed and then tested in small pilot studies for field efficiency verification. This proposal fits well with the strategic plan of MDOT and ODOT in terms of focus on asset management optimization. The results of this research will enable MDOT, ODOT and other Midwest DOT's to launch optimized drainage structure asset management programs that would significantly reduce field problems. The objectives of this project are to: (1) develop inventory and condition assessment protocols and business rules for culvert structures; and (2) validate and optimize above protocols and business rules on the basis of field pilot studies in Michigan and Ohio.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:24:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1228645</guid>
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