|
|
Quality Engineering Solutions, Inc. |
|
|
QES Equipment QES owns and operates a Dynatest 8000 Falling Weight Deflectometer Test System (FWD). Falling Weight Deflectometer: The FWD is a nondestructive test device which is designed for multi-purpose pavement applications, ranging from unpaved roads to airfields. FWD generated data, combined with layer thickness, can be confidently used to obtain the "in-situ" resilient elastic moduli of the structural layers within a pavement. This information can, in turn, be used in a structural analysis to determine the bearing capacity, estimate expected life, and design a rehabilitation plan. Additionally, the FWD can be used to test load transfer efficiency of joints within concrete pavements. The FWD owned by QES is a one man operational system that is accurate and fast with a measuring capacity of up to 60 test points per hour. It has a wide loading range (8-104 kN) or (1,600-23,500 lbf) and shows excellent repeatability. During FWD testing, both pavement and air temperature are recorded so that the proper adjustments can be included in data analysis procedures. Field testing is performed in accordance with the standard ASTM procedures as described in ASTM D 4695-96, “Standard Guide for General Pavement Deflection Measurements” and the calibration of our equipment is verified each year at the Long Term Pavement Performance Calibration Center in Harrisburg, PA. QES, Inc. has qualified equipment operators and engineering staff who have successfully completed numerous projects involving non destructive testing. We also possess state of the art computing facilities, software and well trained and experienced engineers for processing and analysis of the FWD Data. QES owns an electric core drill that is capable of drilling four or six inch pavement cores and four or six inch augers to extract samples of the unbound pavement sublayers. Core Drilling & Sampling Equipment: The construction information often does not sufficiently provide the precise pavement structure that is required in order to accurately process FWD data. In order to accurately determine the layer types and thickness, destructive tests often need to be performed. This means removing a pavement core from the bound materials, then auguring through any base and subbase material down into the subgrade. QES engineers and technicians have utilized this sampling technique on numerous occasions and find it to be a relatively quick and easy method allowing for both layer type determination and layer thickness determination. An additional benefit of pavement coring is the determination of cracking propagation. For purposes of developing the most effective rehabilitation strategies it is important to understand whether the visible cracking is initiated from the top down cracking or from the bottom up. Taking cores over cracked sections of pavements provides great insight into the pavement distress mechanism. This enables accurate measurement of layer thickness and provides samples for soil classification and laboratory testing. FWD testing and coring and sampling can occur concurrently, requiring only temporary traffic disruption of a single lane during operations. The following is a list of some of our projects involving Falling Weight Deflectometer Testing.
For more information please contact smorian@qespavements.com or call our office at 814-382-0373 |
