Roda Test

摘要

Several heavyweight tractor-trailer rigs are about to set out on a two-year journey confined to a 1.8 mile oval test track in Alabama. The accelerated loading tests should help state departments of transportation improve asphalt pavement performance nationwide. Most test tracks are built to test vehicles, but one now under construction near Auburn, Alabama, has been designed for testing pavement, specifically hot-mix asphalt. The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) at Auburn University is spending $7.5 million to construct a 1.8 mi (2.9 km) oval track that will test pavement designs submitted by nine states and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The different asphalt designs, which are being constructed according to each state's specifications, will be subjected to accelerated loading over a two-year period and analyzed for performance.