California Pavement Preservation Center
Location: Langdon Engineering Center 203
Phone: 530-898-5114
About Us
The purpose of the CP2 Center is to:
- Define and quantify the benefits of preservation
- Provide training and education
- Identify practices and research that can improve pavement preservation performance
- Document, facilitate and provide technology transfer for innovative pavement preservation materials and construction methods
- Provide technical assistance for state and local agencies
- Promote the effectiviness of the pavement preservation to sustain the built environment
Staff
Dingxin Cheng
Director, California Pavement Preservation Center
dxcheng@csuchico.edu
530-898-5114
Thai Son Tran
Post Doc Researcher
ttran24@csuchico.edu
530-356-8315
Kun Zhang
Senior Pavement Researcher
kzhang2@csuchico.edu
530-898-3685
Newsletters
The California Pavement Preservation Center publishes a quarterly newsletter which includes interviews with key people committed to pavement preservation, feature articles on current flexible and rigid pavement preservation materials and processes, as well as upcoming meetings and events. You can subscribe/unsubscribe it through our website.
To request access to a newsletter not listed, please email dxcheng@csuchico.edu.
Ongoing Research
Task 1. Training and Educations
The objective of this task is to provide training and education for Caltrans on pavement in California.
Task 2. Encourage Innovation and New Technologies in Pavement Preservation
The objectives of this task are to improve pavement preservation treatment performance by:
- Facilitating and documenting Innovation projects. Documenting the construction and performance of non-innovations pavement preservation projects.
- Assisting Caltrans with the identification, certification, and implementation of new products
Task 3. Provide Technical Assistance on Pavement Preservation Related Issues
The objective of this task is to assist Caltrans in the area of pavement preservation by providing technical assistance.
Task 4. Promote Effective Pavement Preservation Practices
The objective of this task is to promote effective pavement preservation practices within California using a variety of different means and using the technical information developed in Tasks 1-3.
[Old Page had "In-Place Recycling Document Assessment Link" but it was not linked to anything]
In recent years, petroleum and aggregate economics and supply have increased the need for high quality, cost effective alternatives to virgin paving mixtures. Transportation professionals are asking for methods that optimize the value of in-place materials while minimizing traffic congestion and the environmental impact of paving operations. Current pavement recycling and reclamation methods answer all of these needs, in particular:
- Hot In-Place Recycling (HIR)
- Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR) and
- Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR)
These techniques provide economical and sustainable solutions that reduce demand on raw materials, energy consumption, and production of GHG, while maintaining functionality and performance.
Key issues to be addressed include the need for specific in-place recycling and reclamation strategies and a discussion of how they might be used within the planned life-cycle of a pavement. Information to be collected for this study includes:
- Project selection criteria
- Pavement condition, traffic, geometric and environmental considerations
- In-place material testing and evaluation, including recyclability of existing materials
- Criteria used for selection of strategies
- Extent of annual construction program for each of the three strategies (including rationale for use)
- Types of liquids or stabilizers used to condition the RAP
- Mixture design methods
- Structural design considerations
- Processing methods and equipment
- Inspection and quality assurance
- Wearing course considerations
- Barriers to implementation, including: lack of engineering design standards; lack of evidence that it will work; lack of local, experienced contractors
- Tried it and it failed
- Opposition from competing industries
- Data on documented performance, costs, and benefits
- Quantification of environmental benefits
Information to be gathered for the synthesis will include:
- A comprehensive list of current candidate materials that are readily available or stockpiled for common usage, and their uses, in a matrix format
- Identify and review available test procedures for assessing physical and chemical characterization, compaction, geomechanical properties, long-term durability, and environmental performance, including suitability and risks
- Summarize best material preparation and quality control techniques (including stockpiling)
- Review possible modifications to transform marginal materials into suitable materials. This includes mechanical, chemical or environmental strategies.
- Address material handling issues associated with the use of recycled materials
- Explain design adaptations that may be required for successful use
- Identify site construction practices that have proven effective
- Identify failures, causes, and lessons learned
- Identify the major scientific, contractual and perceptual barriers to adoption of suitable alternative materials by states and steps used to overcome these barriers
- Cost savings from use of recycling, including energy and materials
- Gaps in knowledge and a research road map to address these
We are currently collecting information on a wide range of recycled materials and by-products. Content assessment surveys have been developed for these topics (shown below).
If you want to log a document into our database, please click on the recycled material or byproduct then answer the Content Assessment questions.
Municipal Solid Waste Combustor Ash
Please use the following link to provide basic information and locations for your recycling projects.
The Center just completed a final report for this project. The reports are available on the center website. The results from this two years study indicated the following:
- Terminal blends containing crumb rubber have been used in the United States since 1980s. They have been used in California since 1990s in both chip seals and hot mixes. The performance of these products have been very good.
- Warm mix technology can be used with asphalt rubber hot mixes. They have not been used in the asphalt rubber spray applications.
- Additional work is needed to evaluate the warm mix technologies with terminal blend and asphalt rubber.
Technical Services
The California Pavement Preservation Center is prepared to serve public agencies and industry in their efforts to establish and improve pavement preservation practices. The center provides educational programs, outreach, hands-on technical assistance and conduct or manage applied research to government agencies, industry, universities, and others interested in practicing pavement preservation.
The center's staff has an established working relationship with the pavement preservation industry and has expertise in many areas including:
- Roadway materials, maintenance and design
- Pavement management systems
- Asset management
- Pavement evaluation and failure investigations
- Safety of transportation facilities
- Budgeting for highway transportation facilities
- Pavement Preservation
Services provided by the center as well as potential clients are summarized below.
Technical Assistance
- Evaluate performance of pavement preservation treatments (forensics)
- Specification development and/or review
- Development of guides for pavement preservation practices
- Laboratory testing services for flexible and rigid pavement preservation treatments
- Develop and deliver presentations to other agencies
Innovation and Implementation
New Product Evaluation
- Streamlining the new product evaluation process
- Participating in lab and field studies
- Partnering with agencies to identify new products and to address pavement preservation
Applied Research
- Management of pooled fund studies
- Participating as a partner in regional and national studies
- Conducting specific studies for Caltrans and local agencies
Promoting Pavement Preservation
Develop:
- Marketing brochures of services provided by the California Pavement Preservation Center
- Workshops for agencies, industries, and organizations
- Fact sheets for pavement preservation treatment topics
- Conferences on pavement preservation such as the Annual California Pavement Preservation Conference and the First International Conference on Pavement Preservation
- Quarterly Center Newsletter
Past and Current Clients
- Federal Agencies
- State of California, Department of California (Caltrans)
- California Recycle
- Local Agencies
- Industry
- Universities
- Private owners interested in pavement preservation
- National Academy of Sciences
Laboratory Facilities
Laboratory facilities are available for use by the CP2 Center. Currently, the facilities include the following:
- Asphalt laboratory for testing binder, emulsion, and asphalt concrete
- Soils laboratory for testing soils
- Concrete laboratory for testing cements, aggregates, and portland cement concrete
The concrete laboratory is currently being upgraded for use by the Concrete Industry Center and eventually will be relocated to accommodate new equipment and to co-exist with the new asphalt laboratory.
In addition, a pavement preservation surface treatment testing laboratory is being developed.
Equipment and Facilities of CP2C
- 4-point beam-fatigue testing apparatus
- APA for humberg testing
- Asphalt concrete cutting saw
- Bending beam rheometer
- Dynamics hearrheometer
- Enviromental chamber with 4-point beam fatigue
- Laboratory asphalt concrete compactor
- Pressure aging vessel
- Rolling thin film aging device
- Vaccum Degas Oven
California Pavement Preservation Center
Location: Langdon Engineering Center 203
Phone: 530-898-5114