Nondestructive Evaluation of Highway System Asset Foundational Condition and Capability (2023)

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2023 N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1041 Nondestructive Evaluation of Highway System Asset Foundational Condition and Capability Ahmad Alhasan Jerry DiMaggio Applied Research Associates, Inc. Champaign, IL Soheil Nazarian The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX W. Allen Marr Geocomp Corporation Acton, MA Subscriber Categories Highways • Geotechnology Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Ofcials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transporta- tion results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to high- way authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 ini- tiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agree- ment No. 693JJ31950003. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive com- mittee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, univer- sities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of special- ists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs iden- tified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Direc- tors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB. The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs. Published research reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to https://www.mytrb.org/MyTRB/Store/default.aspx Printed in the United States of America NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1041 Project 20-126(03) ISSN 2572-3766 (Print) ISSN 2572-3774 (Online) ISBN 978-0-309-69844-3 Library of Congress Control Number 2023934288 © 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trade- marks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material 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, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or spec- ifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

e National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president. e National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president. e National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. e three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. e National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org. e Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. e mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. e Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 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. e program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1041 Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Deborah Irvin, Program Coordinator Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications NCHRP PROJECT 20-126(03) PANEL Field of Special Projects Robert L. Sack, Burnt Hills, NY (Chair) James Darryll Dockstader, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL Timothy McDowell, Cheyenne, WY John C. Milton, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA Cameron T. Kergaye, Utah Department of Transportation, Holladay, UT Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation, Augusta, ME Jean M. Wallace, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN Kimberly L. Webb, retired, Michigan Department of Transportation, Southeld, MI Stephen Woelfel, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Boston, MA Richard Y. Woo, Maryland Department of Transportation, Baltimore, MD Ben Hawkinson, FHWA Liaison King W. Gee, AASHTO Liaison

NCHRP Research Report 1041: Nondestructive Evaluation of Highway System Asset Founda- tional Condition and Capability presents state-of-the-art information on significant new and emerging nondestructive evaluation technologies used to assess and monitor the integrity, con- dition, and service capability of the foundational elements of highway system assets. The report also identifies gaps in the technologies and current state of practice as well as future research needs to bridge these gaps and improve agencies’ assessing capabilities. The material in this report will be of immediate interest to highway geotechnical engineers. State departments of transportation responsible for system asset management know that aging materials, variations in weather and climatic conditions, normal usage, and such events as vehicle crashes, seismic shock, and erosion of foundation soils contribute to the deterioration of an asset’s condition and service capability. However, transportation officials often cannot be certain of the rate of deterioration or accumulated damage. Deterioration and damage, generally hidden from observation within and around massive, earthbound structures, may be partially revealed by observation and testing through excavation or drilling into the structure, but such methods introduce new damage and can contribute to more rapid deterioration. Technology developments—for example, remote sensing [ground-penetrating radar (GPR), light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and acoustic emission (AE) detection], embedded sensors, and others—seem promising, but the high cost of data collection and processing may outweigh the benefits. The tradeoff of data collection and processing costs versus the benefits of implementing asset management is particularly troublesome with respect to the foundations of transportation system infrastructures and the condition and capabilities of materials beneath and adjacent to pavements, footings, walls, and embankments. Research was needed to identify, develop, and facilitate cost-effective methods for nondestructive in situ inference, direct measurement, and testing of foundational integrity, condition, and service capability of highway system assets as well as to guide further research and develop- ment for advancing measurement, testing, and monitoring practices. Under NCHRP Project 20-126(03), “Advancing Practices of In Situ Nondestructive Eval- uation of Highway System Asset Foundational Condition and Capability,” Applied Research Associates was asked to conduct a critical review of current and leading practices, research, applications of new and emerging technologies, and opportunities for further advances to identify near-term opportunities for improving agencies’ capabilities to assess and monitor the foundational integrity, condition, and service capability of highway system assets. F O R E W O R D By Waseem Dekelbab Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

1 Summary 4 Chapter 1 Introduction 4 Problem Statement 5 Objective 5 Organization of Report 6 Chapter 2 Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies: Current State of Practice and State of Art 6 Introduction 6 Literature Review 28 Data Analytics and Management in Nondestructive Evaluation of Highway System Asset Foundations 30 Chapter 3 National Survey on the Current State of Practice 30 Introduction 30 Survey Responses 34 Chapter 4 Transportation Assets Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment 34 Introduction 34 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Pavements 37 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Bridges 41 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Culverts 43 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Retaining Structures 52 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Engineered Earthworks 57 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Signs and Masts 59 Deterioration and Foundational Condition Assessment of Tunnels 63 Chapter 5 Nondestructive Evaluation Technology Maturity and Gap Assessment 63 Introduction 63 Technology Maturity Model 66 Gap Assessment C O N T E N T S

69 Chapter 6 Improvement Strategies 69 Introduction 70 Cost Considerations and Factors 71 Dra Problem Statement 95 Chapter 7 Summary and Conclusions 95 Summary of Activities 95 General Conclusions 96 Recommendations and Future Activities 97 References 102 List of Acronyms A-1 Appendix A Survey Questions and Responses B-1 Appendix B Nondestructive Evaluation Technology Maturity Model C-1 Appendix C Nondestructive Evaluation Technology Maturity and Gap Assessment D-1 Appendix D List of Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies Note: Photographs, gures, and tables in this report may have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. e electronic version of the report (posted on the web at nap.nationalacademies.org) retains the color versions.