Dowel bar standard advances pavement quality control measures

Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.

The forthcoming ASTM E3013, Test Method for Evaluating Concrete Pavement Dowel Bar Alignment Using Magnetic Pulse Induction, will reinforce quality control and quality assurance measures behind durable, smooth mainline highways and airport runways. New to North America, magnetic pulse induction a) measures steel dowel alignment in concrete pavement joints, where the bars transfer loads from one slab to the next; and, b) yields data with which agencies or owners can determine if the dowel installation meets project specs.

“This technology was developed as a quality test that supports a lower cost concrete paving installation method, which stretches taxpayer dollars in the construction or reconstruction of highways without compromising quality,” says Kessler Soils Engineering Products Technical Manager Garry Aicken, a member of ASTM Committee E17 on Vehicle–Pavement Systems. Both the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration use the test described in E3013, he adds, while many state departments of transportation turn to magnetic pulse induction for quality assurance on new pavement projects or failed structure forensic studies.

ASTM E17 convenes next during December Committee Week in Tampa, Fla. Contacts: (technical) Garry Aicken, P.E., 571/291-2284 ext. 103, [email protected]; (ASTM staff liaison) Julia Lively, 610/832-9681, [email protected].