Intelligent Compaction

Intelligent Compaction


Introduction
Intelligent Compaction is a relatively new method of road construction in the U.S, even though it has been used for years in Europe. Due to the present state of the technology within Government agencies there aren’t many companies using this technology, one manufacturer has stated that they have only sold 60 IC rollers to date. It is a cutting edge technology in the U.S. and there is plenty of research and testing being conducted in order for Intelligent Compaction to be accepted as a widely used method of road construction.
I was able to locate a company in Texas that has experience with Intelligent Compaction. The Transtec Group helps public and private agencies in street, highway, airfield and seaport projects. They serve clients in pavement engineering, research, and implementation. Right now they only have two employees in their company that coordinate IC methods. Dr. George Chang, PHD, PE is in charge of their Intelligent Compaction process.
Dr. Chang was generous enough to help me with my research. He is an expert on pavement methods and has conducted extensive research and testing on Intelligent Compaction. He has 22 years of experience in pavement engineering, and 10 years with Transtec Group. Dr. Chang is also the lead investigator on the Transportation Pool Fund #954 that I discuss later in the report. Dr. Chang says that there aren’t many contractors that have IC rollers due to the price and that most projects do not require the use; although, having an IC roller in your company gives you a significant advantage over your competition. Having an IC roller in the company allows them to be more efficient by knowing exactly how much rolls and vibrations are needed to achieve optimum density, instead of having to guess then do a test to see if optimum was reached. Another advantage is being to have actual documentation from the machine that the job was done right. Most intelligent compaction systems offer a way to document jobsite...

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