Background
The service life of asphalt pavement could be significantly enhanced by an increase in the density of asphalt pavement, even as small as 1%. The importance of achieving consistent and target density has long been recognized by many transportation agencies, and density is widely acknowledged as one of the key indicators of the quality of construction. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recognized the criticality of achieving density and launched an initiative as part of the Accelerated Implementation and Deployment of Pavement Technologies (AIDPT) program. At the same time, the FHWA has recognized the benefits of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for nearly all aspects of highway transportation, from inspection to construction and operations.
Invention Description
Researchers at Arizona State University have developed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-assisted automated and near real-time construction quality support protocol informed by thermal profiling, computed thermal heat maps, and tracked roller movements, maneuvers, and patterns. The main premise of this system is the ability to collect key information affecting the densification of hot-mix asphalt pavements during construction and improve the construction quality. This system is designed to give feedback to the paving crew to manage paving operation by actionable thermal profile and rolling patterns such that the constructed quality of asphalt pavements can be improved to enhance service life.
Potential Applications:
- Construction inspection & operations
- Training for the asphalt industry
- State and local transportation agencies construction quality specifications
Benefits and Advantages:
- Consistency – Near real-time data from UAVs ensures uniform compaction across the entire mat
- Precision – Thermal data at any time during construction and roller movements allow for a more accurate assessment of compaction efficiency
- Efficiency – Near real-time tracking of mat temperatures and roller movements improves the overall compaction process
- Convenience – The system provides actionable maps and quality indicators at the job site and can be operated by the members of the construction crew