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Concrete Material Characterization Lab site Infrastructure & Building Materials, Concrete Pavement Design

recycled carbon fiber composites for extra strength

PACCAR Shoot

The aerospace industry is prominent is Washington state. As part of the manufacturing process, highly engineered carbon fiber and glass fiber composite scraps are available for recycling. We are researching the use of this material in cementitious materials for tougher and more durable infrastructure. In late 2015, we partnered with Boeing and infused pervious concrete with their scrap carbon fiber composites at different volume fractions. Preliminary results were promising, as such, we are working on expanding our exploratory experiment to a more in-depth investigation. Watch the video below to learn more about this partnership.

mechanistic design of concrete pavements

Every step- small or large- towards making our pavement design procedures more mechanistic and field data-based, gets us closer to more durable infrastructure. With this goal in mind, we are partnered with Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in developing a state-wide concrete material properties library. At this library, state engineers can check out concrete properties such as strength, stiffness, the coefficient of thermal expansion and drying shrinkage to design pavement sections in their region. The test results database will be ready for use in the newly developed mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide set forward by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

stormwater management with pervious concrete

perviousPervious concrete pavements are to help control stormwater runoff from the heavy showers in the Pacific Northwest. Pervious concrete is intentionally designed to contain more than 20 percent air voids in the mixture and allow for at least 500 inch/hr infiltration rate. Runoff travels through the pervious concrete slab, passes through the underlying stone reservoir and percolates into the natural subgrade soil or is collected by underdrains. The picture shows that as the water is being poured over a pervious concrete slab, it infiltrates through the slab. Like any other new products that become popular too quickly, pervious concrete pavements are falling behind in design and testing. We are working on material testing and design method development for pervious concrete with several entities such as the Washington state department of transportation (WSDOT), The Boeing Company, American Concrete Institute (ACI), Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), and local University Transportation Centers.