Spring Break
TxDOT recognizes A&M innovation
By: By Brittany Hooten
Issue date: 2/27/02 Section: Front Page
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) named a Texas A&M innovation in asphalt testing -- designed to judge the durabilty of asphalt before it is put on the road and taxpayers pay for its repair -- one of the top research findings of 2001.
TxDOT recognized Chemical Engineering Professor Dr. Charles Glover's Stirred Air-Flow Test. Glover submitted a design proposal in March 1999 to TxDOT after it requested proposals of an apparatus that would conduct an aging process on asphalt, to determine if the asphalt would be strong enough to bear the wear and tear of Texas roadways.
"We wanted something that was easy to operate, easy to maintain, safer, cheaper and faster," said Gerald Peterson, TxDOT asphalt laboratory engineer. "It is exactly what we were looking for."
Peterson said TxDOT sponsors universities to do research for them.
Glover was awarded the project, funded by TxDOT.
When exposed to the elements, asphalt becomes brittle and cracks, Glover said. The asphalt cannot continue to take stresses and becomes susceptible to even more damage over time, he said.
The Stirred Air-Flow Test solves that problem by aging asphalt in a controlled manner. Glover said the test burns asphalt at a slow rate, exposing certain components of the asphalt to the elements. Testing it this way allows roadway specialists to predict the behavior of asphalt before it is laid, he added.
This new system can also tell specialists the stability of the asphalt.
"It's a matter of long-term aging in roads costing money," Glover said.
"You want to know as much about the aging process as possible and how to slow it down."
The Stirred Air-Flow Test costs much less than the apparatus currently in use and test time is cut in half, Glover said.
"It is robust, easy to use and compact in space," Glover said.
Glover worked on the project from Sept. 1999 to Aug. 2001, with the help of Interim Professor Dr. Richard Davison and graduate student Nikolai Vassiliev. Five prototypes of the apparatus were delivered to different laboratories and are being tested to compare results.
Peterson said, "Indications are right now that it is going to work really well for us [TXDOT]."
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