Developing QC/QA Specifications for Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete in Illinois

Abstract

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has recently undertaken a quality management program to improve the quality of construction, allow more innovation, and reduce IDOTs management of industry construction programs. The Asphalt Concrete (AC) Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA) program is a significant part of this quality management program. IDOT accredits the success of the AC QC/QA program to gradual implementation and contractor and industry involvement. In 1991, four projects were constructed under a newly developed QC/QA specification. After reviewing and evaluating feedback from the contractors and IDOT personnel, the specification was revised for use on 1992 projects. In 1992, IDOT let 30 QC/QA projects, and in 1993, 65 QC/QA projects. In 1994 and 1995, most AC projects containing over 225 metric tons (250 tons) of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) were designated as QC/QA projects. In conjunction with this effort on AC quality, an aggregate certification program was implemented. The program ensures that aggregate gradation is highly controlled and is acceptable for incorporation into the mixture. Training programs for contractor QC and aggregate certification were also implemented. Analysis of the data indicates an increase in uniformity of the HMA, potentially leading to a 15 percent increase in fatigue life. IDOT is now examining the implications of developing end-result and performance-related specifications (ERS/PRS) for the AC QC/QA program. In the summer of 1996, one QC/QA project was shadowed and evaluated based on newly developed ERS/PRS.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Transportation Research Circular No. 457: Glossary of Highway Quality Assurance Terms. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., April 1996.

Ames

W. H.

, and Sundquist

C. R.

. California’s Experience with the Use of Statistical Specifications. Transportation Research Circular 172: Implementing Statistically Based Specifications. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., Oct. 1975.

Afferton

K. C.

, Freidenrich

, and Weed

. Managing Quality, Time for a National Policy. In Transportation Research Record 1340, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1992, pp. 3–39.

Quality Assurance Guide Specification. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C., June 1995.

Special Provisions for Quality Control/Quality Assurance of Class I Bituminous Concrete Mixtures. Effective Dec. 1, 1991; revised July 1, 1995. Illinois Department of Transportation.

Patel

A. J.

, Thompson

M. R.

, Carpenter

S. H.

. Evaluation of Potential Applications of End-Result and Performance-Related Specifications. Illinois Cooperative Highway and Transportation Research Program, Project IHR-425, Transportation Engineering Series No. 89, Dec. 1995.

Weed

R. M.

Statistical Specification Development, 2nd ed. New Jersey Department of Transportation, March 24, 1989.

Patel

A. J

. Development of Fatigue Based Pay Adjustment Factors in Performance Related Specifications for Full-Depth Asphalt Concrete Pavements. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Illinois, Oct. 1995.

Research and Development of the Asphalt Institute’s Thickness Design Manual (MS-1), 9th ed. Research Report 82-2. Asphalt Institute, Aug. 1982.

10.

Fernando

E. G.

, Anderson

D. A.

, Luhr

D. R.

, Antle

, and Siddiqui

. A Conceptual Framework for the Development of Performance-Based Specifications. Proc. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, Vol. 56, 1987, pp. 278–299.

11.

Gomez

, and Thompson

M. R.

. Mechanistic Design Concepts for Full-Depth Asphalt Pavements. Project IHR-510, Transportation Engineering Series 41. Illinois Cooperative Highway and Transportation Research Program, 1984.

12.

Mechanistic Pavement Design. Supplement to Section 7 of the Illinois Department of Transportation Design Manual. Illinois Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 1989.

13.

Chamberlin

W. P

. NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 212: Performance-Related Specifications for Highway Construction and Rehabilitation. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1995.

14.

Irick

P. E. A

Conceptual Framework for the Development of a Performance-Related Materials and Construction Specification. In Transportation Research Record 1126, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1988, pp. 1–23.

15.

Anderson

D. A.

, Luhr

D. R.

, Antle

C. E.

, Siddiqui

, and Fernando

E. G.

. NCHRP Report 26A: Performance-Related Specifications for Hot-Mix Asphaltic Concrete (Draft Interim Report). TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., March 1987.

16.

Anderson

D. A.

, Luhr

D. R.

, Antle

C. E.

, Siddiqui

, and Fernando

E. G.

. NCHRP Report 332: Framework for the Development of Performance-Related Specifications for Hot-Mix Concrete. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1990.

17.

Shook

J. F.

, Diaz

M. A.

, Stroup-Gardiner

, and Seeds

S. B.

. Performance-Related Specifications for Asphalt Concrete—Phase II. FHWA-RD-91-070. ARE, Inc., Jan. 1992.

18.

Darter

M. I.

, Abdelrahman

, Okamoto

P. A.

, and Smith

K. D.

. Performance-Related Specifications for Concrete Pavements. 3 Vols. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993.