Thermal Imaging Data Analysis Tool Helps Advance Asphalt Performance Assurance

Item #: 20230048

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Region 2
Champion: Lonnie Marchant
Implementation Lead: Jason Nance
Development Team:

Article Written By:
Innovation Team Coordinator: Winston Inoway

STATUS

Implementation Date: August 1, 2023
Adoption Status: Initial Implementation Underway
Adoptability Note: This data analysis tool is still being tested and may become more widely used. Contractors are using this on various projects throughout the state.

APPLIES TO

Topic: Construction Practices
Organization(s): Asset Management, Central Materials, Central Preconstruction, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Research and Innovation
Job Role(s): Construction Engineer, Materials Engineer, Program Manager, Transportation Technician
Tags: highway transportation, capital productivity, materials, job satisfaction, expenses, expenditures, inspection, data visualization, civil engineering, chemistry, data science, materials science, mechanical engineering, photogrammetry, asset management, construction, inspection, project management, testing, samples, sampling, pavement, environmental quality > pollution > air, noise

PROBLEM

UDOT Construction uses many specifications to ensure pavement performs as expected over the duration of its lifespan. One of the best ways to test durability and compaction is by drilling out a core sample directly from the pavement. Unfortunately, this can weaken the bonds and lead to potholes.

CHANGE

UDOT’s Region Two Materials Lab has been testing a new inspection process that tracks and records the temperature of asphalt as it is installed and rolled. Two measurements the Material lab is looking at (among many others) to determine pavement performance are Relative Density and the degree of material segregation (low or high). Relative density (RD) is an indicator of pavement strength and longevity, and the degree of segregation helps indicate the physical and kinetic bonding quality of the materials. Materials engineers know that adjoining sections with different temperatures will compact differently, and the bonding of materials, impacting the degree of segregation, may be compromised due to the temperature incompatibility. Temperature plays an important part in both compaction and segregation of the pavement.

By putting thermal profiling cameras on both the paver and the rollers, inspectors can gather data on temperature, time, location, and compaction. Using a map-based geospatial data application called Veta, material technicians can view a map of the pavement as it is compacted, and even “see” the number of times a section is rolled. Thermal images help assess the degree of material segregation as differences in temperature of adjacent sections can be viewed, and incompatible sections can be identified.

RESULT

Region Two inspectors and the paving contractor conducted a test of thermal imaging and location tracking on a section of SR-196 in Tooele County with a Highly Modified Hot-Mix Asphalt. The field data was downloaded and processed with the Veta application. After reviewing the data in the application, a number of important discoveries were found to help inspectors extrapolate pavement characteristics and performance. UDOT can use this method as another piece of evidence to predict pavement strength and potential lifespan. As this data analysis tool continues to be used, field elements such as timing, equipment calibration, camera alignment and position, will continue to be improved which will ultimately yield better data collection and results in future tests. It is hoped this type of data can supplant core data as the principal precursor to the overall quality of pavement.