Project Description
Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) “accelerated pavement testing” program was launched at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) using their “heavy vehicle stimulator”. The heavy vehicle simulator will run a wheel assembly – which applies a heavily weighted load to a test pavement – back and forth, day and night, for several months over a 10-foot-wide by 100-foot-long pavement section to simulate real-world vehicle wear and tear. FORTA-FI® was used in one pavement section (3” SMA-12.5 + fiber reinforced additive) in order to measure the benefits fiber reinforced pavement has in reducing reflective cracking. The accelerated pavement testing program will enable VDOT to determine how different pavement designs and new materials respond to load testing before putting them to use in real-world projects. With FORTA-FI® in the mix, they can expect to see improvements in reflective cracking when results are analyzed in coming months
Key Points
- Extend Pavement Life
- Reduced Cracking
- Reduced Rutting & Raveling