complete quality assurance (qa) testing and 1 …

1COMPLETE QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) TESTING AND INSPECTION

ITEM #10, OAPC TOP 10 LIST WAYS TO GET MORE DURABLE HMA PAVEMENTS

Presented by

Doubra Ambaiowei, Ph.D., P.Eng., MCSCEORBA, OAPC - Council of ORBA, Technical Director

OAPC TOP 10 LIST – QUICK OVERVIEW2

A REMINDER: DOWNLOAD OAPC PUBLICATIONS

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www.onasphalt.orgLook Under Publications & Education Section

QUALITY FACTORS IN HOT MIX ASPHALT

ENGINEERING

What is Quality Asphalt Pavement?

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✓ A Durable Pavement

✓ A Smooth Ride

✓ A Safe Pavement

✓ A Performing Pavement

QUALITY CHALLENGES

What Are the Challenges?

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✓ Low-bid Contract Practices

✓ Limited Budgets

✓ Use of Substandard Materials

✓ Specification Proliferations, et.al

CONTRACTUAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS6

◼ Preliminary Design Testing

Ensures prospective material sources can satisfy specification

requirements.

CONTRACTUAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS7

◼ Job Mix Control Testing – Mix Design Development

Ensures the paving mixture designed under the job-mix formula meets

all specification requirements.

CONTRACTUAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS8

◼ Job Mix Control Testing – During Production

Ensures the paving mixture produced under the job-mix formula meets

all specification requirements.

CONTRACTUAL TESTING REQUIREMENTS9

◼ Construction Control Testing

Performed as a routine and periodic item of inspection during/post

paving.

QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) TESTING DEFINED10

• According to TRB’s Research Circular, No. E-C010 and E-C173, QA

is an all-encompassing term, that includes: “Quality Control (QC)”,

“Acceptance”, Inspection, and “Independent Assurance (IA)”.

• QA consists of all the planned and systematic actions necessary to

provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy

given requirements for quality.

QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) TESTING DEFINED11

Quality Control (QC):

• Consists of QA actions to ensure

materials and products conform

to the specification and/or end

result requirements; whether

manufactured or processed by

the contractor or procured from

suppliers or subcontractors.

Acceptance:

• Includes sampling, testing, and

the assessment of test results to

determine whether or not the

quality of produced material or

construction is acceptable in

terms of the specifications.

Inspection:

• Consists of observing and

monitoring production and

paving operations to ensure

compliance with plans and

specifications.

• Effective inspection at every

stage of the operation can be

the difference between a poor or

excellent performing pavement.

Independent Assurance (IA):

• These are third party activities

requiring an independent and

unbiased assessment of process

control, acceptance, and

inspection procedures, to verify

reliability.

IMPORTANCE OF SAMPLING AND TESTING12

✓ Proper Sampling is CRITICAL for any Product Testing

✓ Quality of Sample = Quality of Test Result

✓ Test in Accordance with Appropriate and Applicable Governing Standards

A REMINDER: PREMATURE PAVEMENT

FAILURES

TTI’s forensic investigation revealed three primary causes for the

pavement failures:

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o The Lack of bonding between layers of HMA;

o Cracks reflecting from existing lower pavement layers through asphalt overlays; and

o Dense aggregate gradations that do not provide sufficient room for the asphalt binder in the mixture or coarse gradations which may be sensitive to asphalt content, thus limiting the amount of asphalt in the mixture and which may be overly permeable.

QUALITY OF ASPHALT REVIEW: FINDINGS

SPECIFIC TO QA TESTING

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◼ Generally not enough qualified inspectors to provide adequate supervision and inspection of road pavement contracts.

◼ Perception on underbidding on projects in anticipation of “getting away with cutting corners”, and negative effects of outsourcing QA roles.

◼ Transferred risk of errors and self-policing.

◼ General consensus that QA processes and practices are a significant contributing factor to poor asphalt quality.

QUALITY OF ASPHALT REVIEW: RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFIC TO QA TESTING

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◼ Development of acceptable QA process and a specific test that enables owners to independently verify, weigh, control, and record the quantity of RAP, REOBs etc., that goes into hot mix asphalt in the plant.

◼ Design and enforce stronger independent QA inspection programs at refineries producing AC, and at independent AC supplier facilities (AC terminals).

◼ Collaborate to design and provide specific training to municipal and industry’s QA/QC inspectors.

◼ Collaborating to review and support recommendations on increasing the frequency of testing, and the minimum required ratio of qualified municipal owner QA inspectors.

Towards Quality Asphalt16

What We Are Doing?

Towards Quality Asphalt17

What is Coming?

TO CONCLUDE18

Tel: 905-507-1107 ext. 232

Cell: 437-388-8246

E-mail: Doubra.Ambaiowei@orba.org

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING