National Concrete Pavement Technology Center

Project description

An instrumentation system including electric and optic sensors will have been installed by July 1, 2013 in 6 ft x 6 ft, 3 in-thick unbonded concrete panels and their existing substrates over an approximately 500 ft long distance in cell-40 at MnROAD - a pavement test track located near Albertville, MN. The unbonded concrete pavement/overlay panels will be loaded under a standard design truck or subjected to cold weather effects over the years. Their field performance will provide the required data for a widespread implementation of this potentially viable solution for aging highway pavement rehabilitation. Strain, crack width, temperature, and other environmental factors will be measured periodically to understand loading and environmental effects on the behavior and performance of the ultrathin panels and their interaction with substrates over time. Laboratory tests will also be conducted for calibration and optimization of the sensitivity, spatial resolution, and strain transfer effect of optical fiber sensors with various packaging materials (coatings). Major outcomes will include repeatable and precise installation procedures for various sensors in cast-in-place panel applications, packaging sensor performances in field application, verified sensor specification, and performance data of concrete panels. This project represents a collaborative effort among Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), North Dakota State University (NDSU), and the University of Minnesota (UMN), taking advantage of their experiences in continuous optical fiber sensing, discrete optical fiber sensing, and pavement engineering.