SUPERPAVE for Local Governments: Participant Manual

Federal Highway Administration1998PDFTech ReportNational Highway Institute (U.S.)United States. Federal Highway AdministrationNational Highway Institute (U.S.)United StatesSuperpaveAsphalt pavementsHot mix asphaltPavement performanceFHWA-HI-98-007Superpave is an acronym for Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements. Superpave is a new, comprehensive asphalt mix design and analysis system, a product of the Strategic Highway Research Program. Congress established SHRP in 1987 as a five-year, $150 million research program to improve the performance and durability of United States roads and to make those roads safer for both motorists and highway workers. $50 million of the SHRP research funds were used for the development of performance based asphalt material specifications to relate laboratory analysis with field performance. Since the completion of the SHRP research in 1993, the asphalt industry and most highway agencies have been focusing great effort in implementing the Superpave system in their highway design and construction practices. Much of the implementation effort has involved training personnel in the proper use of Superpave technology, from introductory courses on how Superpave works to detailed laboratory courses for providing hands-on instruction with the new Superpave materials testing equipment. This course is another step toward informing highway industry personnel of the benefits of Superpave. The intended audience for this course is local government personnel and contractors involved in the specifying, design and construction of hot mix asphalt pavements, including contractors, agency personnel, and consulting engineers. The primary goals of this course are to describe the Superpave components, the critical requirements, why they are needed, and how this new system could impact the production and construction procedures for hot mix asphalt. This course begins with an introduction to the research that produced Superpave. Then the ways in which Superpave can improve pavement performance are investigated, including a review of the behavior of hot mix asphalt materials. An overview of the Superpave material tests is next, followed by a discussion of how materials (asphalt, aggregate, and total mixture) are selected in a Superpave mix design. There is a discussion of the possible handling differences that Superpave requirements could bring about during hot mix asphalt production, placement and compaction. The course concludes with an update of the ongoing activities involved with implementing the Superpave system, both nationwide and in your state. To benefit as much as possible from this course, participants are encouraged to ask questions and share experience, especially those related to their job activities. In order to have a comprehensive reference when you leave, you are encouraged to take notes directly in this book.119