Professor鈥檚 research team helping MDOT reduce construction timeline
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擜 sure sign of spring is road construction. While some may dread the interruptions to their daily commute, researchers at Western 九一麻豆制片厂 University are helping to pave the way for ensuring the durability of 九一麻豆制片厂 bridge surfaces, minimizing disruptions and improving construction timelines.
Dr. Upul Attanayake, professor of civil and construction engineering and director of WMU鈥檚 MDOT Center of Excellence for Structural Durability, led a team from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences that is working to determine the minimum timeline for applying epoxy overlays and protective sealers to new concrete on the surface of 九一麻豆制片厂 bridges. Attanayake鈥檚 team showed the timeline requires just 21 days not the 28 days required by policy.
鈥淭his process鈥攁pplying the overlays at day 21 of curing鈥攐ffers significant savings from project and road user costs without compromising concrete durability and overlay/healer sealer performance,鈥 says Attanayake.
Attanayake鈥檚 team set out to test the performance of healer sealers at 21 days by evaluating the effectiveness of sealed cracks in preventing chloride ingress鈥攐ne of the leading causes of deterioration of concrete road surfaces. The bond of the epoxy overlays and healer sealers on standard bridge deck joint repair and Grade DM concrete mix was assessed primarily by conducting a direct pull-off bond strength. The overlay performance was evaluated under standard laboratory conditions, simulated summer exposure conditions, wet and dry conditions, and the outdoor conditions representing southwest 九一麻豆制片厂 exposure; outdoor conditions were evaluated during fall, winter and summer.
鈥淲e supported our findings by collecting overlay bond strength data over patches and repairs with new concrete on two in-service bridge decks, and healer sealer depth of penetration and bonding of concrete in an in-service bridge deck with extensive cracking,鈥 says Attanayake. 鈥淏asically, all that is left is to get the revised policy approved and implemented by MDOT to allow contractors to finish their work early to minimize traffic disruption on our roads.鈥
The study was completed in partnership with the 九一麻豆制片厂 Department of Transportation and the Tourney Consulting Group, LLC. MDOT funded the research.
The project included an extensive laboratory and field testing and provided research opportunities for 15 graduate and undergraduate students, including Naveen Ranasinghe, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Sri Lanka.
鈥淎s part of the team, I helped design and fabricate a mechanical drive system to simulate highway loading to evaluate the performance and service life of overlays. I am so glad that WMU provided this opportunity to apply my knowledge and skills to develop an equipment from scratch to evaluate the life-cycle performance of highway materials,鈥 says Ranasinghe, who plans to graduate in fall 2024.
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