By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
The National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) at Iowa State University has recently published a comprehensive "Guide to Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) with Cement."  This 90-page manual was developed in cooperation with the Portland Cement Association and many product experts from around the country, including CCT's own Matthew Singel.  It will serve as a centerpiece in CCT's just-announced one-day seminar series "Best Practices for Cement Stabilization and Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements," to be held at seven Texas locations between August and December, 2017.

FDR is often the lowest-cost method of recycling failed asphalt pavements into highly durable bases.  It is an in-place operation that pulverizes the existing surface and base, then adds a small amount of cement to provide a fast-curing and long-lasting base that stands up to heavy trucks and saturated conditions.  Construction is fast, often completed in one day, so light traffic can be applied afterwards; and the need to excavate huge amounts of old material and replace it with new base material--and the associated heavy truck traffic--is avoided.

The guide provides not only an introduction to FDR with cement, but it also comprehensively covers key topics:

• Properties and materials
• Project evaluation (when is FDR appropriate?)
• Structural design
• Mix design
• Construction
• Inspection and testing
• Long-term performance

The guide is geared for design, testing and construction professionals, so that they can properly utilize this highly economical and durable asphalt pavement recycling method.  

If you are interested in being trained in this technique, using the new guide, please consider attending one of the CCT's 7 upcoming seminars.  To find out more about FDR, and download the guide, visit the CP Tech Center's website.

By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
Is your knowledge up to date on how to design, construct and maintain concrete pavements?  Do you know current best practices for stabilizing base materials and soils with cement?  Have you considered roller-compacted concrete for a street or industrial site, but don't know how to design or specify it?  Are you giving your clients--public agencies, facility owners, the traveling public--the best performing pavements at the lowest cost?  If these or similar questions are on your mind, then the Cementx Pavement Blog is for you.  Also, you can register for updates and a free giveaway.

By: Jan R. Prusinski, P.E.

The Cement Council of Texas has redesigned it's website for 2017.  You can still find us at www.cementx.org but the site is now is easier to read and navigate, as well as being mobile and tablet friendly.  We want to make this site better for you, the building professional, and make it your Texas resource for news, knowledge and events on concrete and cement pavements, infrastructure, and construction. We're celebrating by giving away valuable publications on concrete pavement and stabilized bases/subgrades for subscribers to our email updates.  And you'll also be registered for a May 1st drawing for even more valuable publications from the American Concrete Institute and the Portland Cement Association.

By: Matthew W. Singel, PE
​Intelligent compaction (IC) refers to the continuous, real-time monitoring of a roller’s effectiveness in achieving a specified density, stiffness, etc.  This continuous feedback approach to pavement construction has tremendous implications in the realm of quality assurance....

By: Matthew W. Singel, PE
​Extended periods of high temperatures and low rainfall wreak havoc on agriculture, drinking water supply and lake access for recreation.  For civil engineers and public works professionals, these conditions can create an imbalance in the subgrade moisture content, leaving soils under the center of the road at a higher moisture level than the edges, which dry out more quickly.  This is most prevalent on roads with deep drainage ditches (i.e. subgrades with exposed sides).  In the presence of expansive clay soils, deep longitudinal cracking often occurs near the road edge.