A Plan for Developing High-Speed, Nondestructive Testing Procedures for Both Design Evaluation and Construction Inspection (2009)

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T R A N S P O R T A T I O N R E S E A R C H B O A R D WASHINGTON, D.C. 2009 www.TRB.org The Second S T R A T E G I C H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M REPORT S2-R06-RW A Plan for Developing High-Speed, Nondestructive Testing Procedures for Both Design Evaluation and Construction Inspection ANDREW J. WIMSATT, TOM SCULLION, AND EMMANUEL FERNANDO Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University System STEFAN HURLEBAUS, ROBERT LYTTON, AND DAN ZOLLINGER Texas A&M University ROGER WALKER University of Texas, Arlington SUBJECT AREAS Highway and Facility Design • Pavement Design, Management, and Performance Bridges, Other Structures, and Hydraulics and Hydrology • Soils, Geology, and Foundations

The Second Strategic Highway Research Program America’s highway system is critical to meeting the mobility and economic needs of local communities, regions, and the na- tion. Developments in research and technology—such as ad- vanced materials, communications technology, new data collection technologies, and human factors science—offer a new opportunity to improve the safety and reliability of this im- portant national resource. Breakthrough resolution of significant transportation problems, however, requires concentrated re- sources over a short time frame. Reflecting this need, the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has an intense, large-scale focus, integrates multiple fields of research and tech- nology, and is fundamentally different from the broad, mission- oriented, discipline-based research programs that have been the mainstay of the highway research industry for half a century. The need for SHRP 2 was identified in TRB Special Report 260: Strategic Highway Research: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life, published in 2001 and based on a study sponsored by Congress through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). SHRP 2, modeled after the first Strategic Highway Research Program, is a focused, time- constrained, management-driven program designed to comple- ment existing highway research programs. SHRP 2 focuses on applied research in four focus areas: Safety, to prevent or reduce the severity of highway crashes by understanding driver behav- ior; Renewal, to address the aging infrastructure through rapid design and construction methods that cause minimal disrup- tions and produce lasting facilities; Reliability, to reduce conges- tion through incident reduction, management, response, and mitigation; and Capacity, to integrate mobility, economic, envi- ronmental, and community needs in the planning and designing of new transportation capacity. SHRP 2 was authorized in August 2005 as part of the Safe, Ac- countable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The program is managed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) on behalf of the Na- tional Research Council (NRC). SHRP 2 is conducted under a memorandum of understanding among the American Associa- tion of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the National Academy of Sciences, parent organization of TRB and NRC. The program provides for competitive, merit-based selection of re- search contractors; independent research project oversight; and dissemination of research results. SHRP 2 Report S2-R06-RW ISBN: 978030912884-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2009933832 ©2009 Transportation Research Board Copyright Permission Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining writ- ten permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously pub- lished or copyrighted material used herein. The second Strategic Highway Research Program grants permission to reproduce mate- rial in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, or FHWA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing material in this document for educational and not-for-profit purposes will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced ma- terial. For other uses of the material, request permission from SHRP 2. Note: SHRP 2 report numbers convey the program, focus area, project number, and pub- lication format. Report numbers ending in “w” are published as Web Documents only. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the second Strategic Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Note: The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the individual states participating in the second Strategic Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. SHRP 2 reports are available by subscription and through the TRB online Bookstore at www.TRB.org/bookstore Contact the TRB Business Office by telephone at 202-334-3213. More information about SHRP 2 is available at: www.TRB.org/SHRP2

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respec- tively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisci- plinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

SHRP 2 STAFF Neil F. Hawks, Director Ann M. Brach, Deputy Director Kizzy Anderson, Senior Program Assistant, Safety Stephen Andrle, Chief Program Officer, Capacity James Bryant, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Kenneth Campbell, Chief Program Officer, Safety JoAnn Coleman, Senior Program Assistant, Reliability Walter Diewald, Senior Program Officer, Safety Jerry DiMaggio, Implementation Coordinator Charles Fay, Senior Program Officer, Safety Ralph Hessian, Visiting Professional William Hyman, Senior Program Officer, Reliability Linda Mason, Communications Officer Michael Miller, Senior Program Assistant David Plazak, Senior Program Officer, Capacity and Reliability Robert Raab, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Monica A. Starnes, Senior Program Officer, Renewal Noreen Fenwick, Senior Program Assistant, Renewal Chrystyne Talley, Financial Associate Charles Taylor, Special Consultant, Renewal Hans van Saan, Visiting Professional Pat Williams, Administrative Assistant Connie Woldu, Administrative Coordinator Patrick Zelinski, Communications Specialist ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Proj- ect R06 by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), part of the Texas A&M University System in College Station, TX. TTI was the contractor for this study, and the Texas A&M Research Foundation served as fis- cal administrator. Andrew J. Wimsatt, research engineer with TTI, was the project director and principal investigator. Other authors of this report were Tom Scullion and Emmanuel Fernando, research engineers at TTI; Ste- fan Hurlebaus, assistant professor; Robert Lytton, professor; and Dan Zollinger, professor, Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University; and Roger Walker, professor, Department of Computer Sci- ence and Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. The project team thanks Monica Starnes, John Popovics, Larry Jacobs, Larry Olson, David Gress, Frank Jalinoos, Geraldine Cheok, Ken Maser, Soheil Nazarian, and all the interviewees and questionnaire respon- dents for their input and advice.

F O R E W O R D Monica A. Starnes, SHRP 2 Senior Program Officer The first project in the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) in the field of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) was completed in 2008. The project evaluated the exist- ing and emerging NDE technologies and their state of implementation to satisfy NDE requirements for highway renewal. For the requirements not yet addressed with fully imple- mented NDE techniques, a research plan was devised for developing technologies to deal with the most pertinent requirements for bridges, pavements, tunnels, soils, and retaining walls through the life of the facility. The findings of this project related to NDE and its rec- ommendations for subsequent research work in this area are presented in this report. The strategic objective of highway renewal research in SHRP 2 is to develop the necessary tools to “get in, get out, and stay out” when renewing the existing highway infrastructure. To accomplish the goals implied in this motto, technologies and processes that yield long- lasting facilities through rapid design and construction approaches while minimizing the impact to highway users are needed. Nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques that can pro- duce rapid inspection of new construction would facilitate timely reopening of a highway after reconstruction. Adequate NDT techniques are also needed to ensure the quality of con- struction required for long-term performance. Under SHRP 2 Project R06, a research team led by Andrew Wimsatt of the Texas Trans- portation Institute thoroughly reviewed existing and emerging NDE technologies, evaluated the existing inspection requirements, and developed a research and development (R&D) plan to address those requirements. Initial tasks in the research focused on gathering data from literature reviews, surveys, and in-person interviews with state departments of transportation in the United States, members of the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories, academia, and indus- try. The data-gathering activities identified existing NDE techniques and practices, emerging technologies, and apparent gaps between current and future inspection requirements and existing and emerging technology. The R&D plan was developed to address the gaps. The main audience for the R&D plan is the SHRP 2 Technical Coordinating Committee for Renewal, which will use the plan to program additional research funds for NDE. The information in this report has the potential to facilitate other agencies’ research plans in this field; thus, other research organizations and funding agencies are also possible audiences. The research team identified more than 20 areas of study that must be addressed with sub- sequent research. The team also provided detailed recommendations to address the top six research needs: • Automated methods of accurately profiling bridges; • Changes in profiles of tunnel linings over time; • Identification of bridge deck deterioration, including its cause; • Continuous deflection device at the highest possible speed for pavements; • New NDT quality assurance tools for ensuring quality construction; and • Measurement of interlayer bonding between hot-mix asphalt layers for pavements.

C O N T E N T S 1 Executive Summary 3 CHAPTER 1 Background 3 Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Background 3 Problem Statement 3 Research Objective 4 Scope of Study 5 CHAPTER 2 Research Approach 5 Literature Search 5 Questionnaires 5 Other Sources of Information 6 Summary of Needs 6 Discussions with Other SHRP 2 Project Teams 6 Identification of Existing and Emerging NDT Technologies 6 Existing and Emerging NDT Technologies that Address Identified Needs 6 Needs Where No NDT Technology Exists 6 Prioritization 8 CHAPTER 3 Findings and Applications 8 General Overview of Nondestructive Testing Applications 11 Questionnaire Responses 13 Use of NDT Technologies and Techniques by DOTs in the United States 13 Use of NDT Technologies and Techniques by FEHRL Members 13 Promising NDT Technologies and Techniques Identified from Other Sources 14 Identified Needs 18 CHAPTER 4 Conclusions and Recommended Research 18 Introduction 19 Recommended Research for SHRP 2 Funding 19 Descriptions of the Top Six Needs and Recommendations 28 Establishment of National NDT Calibration and Verification Sites 31 Recommended NDT Research for All Needs 36 Other Considerations 37 Appendix A. Nondestructive Testing Technologies and Techniques at the Federal Highway Administration Nondestructive Evaluation Center 53 Appendix B. Use of Promising Nondestructive Testing Technologies by Departments of Transportation 80 Appendix C. Use of Promising Nondestructive Testing Technologies Identified from Other Sources

84 Appendix D. Research Problem Statements for Priority 1 Needs 97 Appendix E. Bibliography 113 References