Ribbon cutting: Lowell Greimann, CCEE chair; Vern Schaefer, Geotechnical and Materials Engineering Division leader; Tom Cackler, PCC Center director; Gerald Voigt, ACPA senior vice president/COO; Andy Wyckoff, PCC Center Advisory Board chair, John Adam, Iowa DOT Statewide Operations Bureau director; Gordon Smith, ICPA president; Steve Andrle, CTRE director; and Jim Grove, PCC Center research engineer.
Mobile Concrete Lab to Go Cross Country
Iowa State University’s newest laboratory doesn’t have an address. You won’t find it on a map. But you might see it rolling down the highway in Texas, New York, or North Dakota.
Representatives from Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the concrete paving industry gathered for the Mobile Concrete Research Lab grand opening and ribbon cutting on July 6, 2004, at Iowa State’s Center for Transportation Research and Education.
Within days, the mobile lab will pull out of campus and head out across the country to conduct research at construction sites in 16 states that have agreed to partner with Iowa State’s Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology (PCC Center).
Bridging the Gap between Field and Lab
Tom Cackler, PCC Center director, spoke at the opening about why the mobile lab was needed: “For years I’ve heard a lot about how laboratory results don’t match those in the field. This lab brings sophisticated testing equipment right to the construction site.”
The mobile lab’s advanced research capabilities are expected to lead to many benefits for all stakeholders involved and ultimately the traveling public.
Operating in concert with Iowa State’s nonmobile PCC Pavement and Materials Research Lab on the Iowa State campus, the new mobile lab will provide one-of-a-kind research capabilities to researchers at the PCC Center and Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) at Iowa State.
The lab will lead to critical advancements and improved practices for the concrete paving industry. “This is a door opener to the future,” explained Gerald Voigt, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA). The ACPA is one of the primary sponsors of the lab.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state departments of transportation (DOTs) also expect to benefit from the lab’s research. As stated by John Adam, director of the Iowa DOT Statewide Operations Bureau, the mobile lab will conduct research that, “doesn’t just sit on the shelf, but that delivers results.”
In addition, “this is the type of equipment that will open doors to Iowa State faculty to bring in more research,” stated Vern Schaefer, CCEE professor and leader of the Geotechnical and Materials Engineering Division. “Being able to tie lab research to field work will give us a great advantage.”
Custom Built, One-of-a-Kind Capabilities
The mobile lab is fully outfitted with a comprehensive range of high-tech equipment. Some of the equipment had to be custom built or modified to provide optimum results in the mobile lab’s unusual lab-in-the-field environment.
One such example is the onboard air void analyzer (AVA). The AVA measures the volume and size distribution of tiny air bubbles whose presence and proper position are critical for concrete roads subject to freeze-thaw cycles.
Because any vibration, such as that caused by wind, can dramatically skew the AVA’s results, the trailer was designed with a trapdoor in the floor to accommodate the AVA. When the lab is parked, the base of the AVA will rest on the ground through the hole so that it is protected by the trailer but not touching the trailer.
Lab’s First Project
The lab’s first job will be testing shadow demonstration construction projects for the 16-state FHWA pooled fund study Material and Construction Optimization for the Prevention of Premature Pavement Distress in Portland Cement Concrete Pavements.
The first scheduled project is in Missouri. “We’re going to start this on a project that begins at the Iowa border,” said Jim Grove, who heads up the project. “It doesn’t get much closer to home than that.”
A major goal of the research is to examine and refine a suite of tests used to evaluate concrete pavement properties. The research will result in a manual of practical tests that can be used to evaluate concrete properties and provide troubleshooting guidance.
Being able to accurately plan how long a pavement will last will help ensure that a pavement designed for 40 years will actually last that long. The ultimate goal is to meet the public’s demand for road construction crews to “get in, get out, and stay out.”
Made Possible by Partnerships
Funding for the mobile lab was made possible through a unique partnership between the ACPA, state paving associations, and Iowa State University. The mobile lab will be used to conduct research sponsored by the FHWA, numerous state DOTs, and industry.
This partnership is an innovative model for working across traditional sectors to achieve goals that benefit all involved.
Lowell Greimann, CCEE professor and chair, echoed the remarks of many of the other speakers at the opening: “If you don’t come away today with the idea of partnership, you didn’t get the message.”
Contacts
The mobile lab is managed by Bob Steffes, PCC research engineer. Steffes
is assisted by three PCC research technicians—Bryan Zimmerman, Heath
Gieselman, and Jeremy McIntyre. For more information, contact Bob Steffes,
515-294-7323, steffesr@iastate.edu.
Last updated: September 6, 2005
Address: Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology
ISU Research Park
2901 S. Loop Drive, Suite 3100
Ames, IA 50010-8632
Phone: 515-294-8103 ~ Fax: 515-294-0467
Email PCC Center: prochnow@iastate.edu
Email webmaster: mregenol@iastate.edu
