Pavement

S&ME delivers comprehensive pavement designs and recommendations. Our pavement engineers and geologists conduct extensive pavement and subgrade field investigations that include pavement condition surveys, coring, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) testing, and soil sampling and testing. S&ME’s AASHTO certified material testing laboratories offer a full range of material testing capabilities for soils and pavements which allows us to prioritize our client’s test results.  S&ME retains in-house drilling and sampling equipment thereby reducing oversight costs and coordination efforts.

Pavement Condition Index Surveys

S&ME has extensive experience performing pavement condition surveys with over 200,000 miles of surveys conducted to date. Our engineers and technicians are trained in using various survey methodologies including ITRE, ASTM and LTPP standards and are proficient in current asset management software platforms.  S&ME conducts pavement condition surveys for airports, municipalities, state transportation agencies and private entities assisting them in their asset management programs and pavement budget optimization.  

Pavement Testing

S&ME recognizes the benefit of having fast, reliable, and non-destructive methods of pavement evaluation. This provides safe, cost-effective options to assess pavement structural capacity, pavement layers thickness, smoothness and friction. S&ME has in-house Falling Weight Deflectometer (FastFWD), high-speed Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Inertial Profiler, and Macrotexture Laser testing equipment.

S&ME’s FastFWD is a non-destructive testing device that quickly and efficiently evaluates pavement structural condition. The FastFWD is used to quantify pavement layer characteristics, evaluate the pavement structural capacity, and provide overlay recommendations through the analysis of the data.  FastFWD results provide quantitative data for pavement designs, establish pavement performance and estimate remaining pavement life.

S&ME’s high-speed GPR is a fast and efficient way to provide continual data collection for pavement layer thicknesses at highway speeds. Because data can be captured at highway speeds, the need for traffic control and disruption of traffic is minimized. The data generated from the GPR is continuous over the selected pathway and provides a more comprehensive description of the pavement thickness when compared with selective coring. S&ME has utilized GPR to identify pavement thickness and composition (stone, asphalt, concrete) on runways/taxiways, highway shoulders, and various roadways.  GPR is useful on both large and small projects to obtain quick, accurate, and complete data.

The Dual Line Inertial Profiler delivers accurate and repeatable pavement smoothness measurements for pavement smoothness specification compliance.  The inertial profiler data is used to calculate International Roughness Index (IRI), a parameter used to measure pavement smoothness/ride quality. Testing can identify localized roughness and provide roadway images with the profile data. Our profiler is also equipped with a macrotexture laser capable of collecting continuous pavement surface texture at highway speeds. The macrotexture laser data characterizes pavement texture depth and is used to calculate Mean Profile Depth (MPD) and Root Mean Square (RMS). Latest research suggests that pavement macrotexture has a large impact on pavement friction characteristics. 

Analysis and Design

Coupled with existing pavement and subgrade characteristics gained from pavement coring, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP), Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and high-speed Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), S&ME provides clients with pavement designs based upon repeatable, in-situ pavement properties. With knowledge of the existing pavement structure and subgrade characteristics throughout the project area and corresponding pavement structural capacity data generated from FWD, S&ME has enhanced capabilities to provide pavement design and rehabilitation recommendations to our transportation clients. S&ME is fully versed in AASHTO Design procedures and has been on the leading edge of implementing and utilizing the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design (MEPDG) design procedures. 

Rehabilitation and Management Strategies

S&ME assist clients with managing their pavement assets and applying cost effective, practical maintenance applications to extend the life of their existing pavements. S&ME provides comprehensive pavement engineering knowledge, practices and technologies to asses existing pavement structural and functional conditions, estimate remaining service life, and develop alternative pavement preservation and rehabilitation strategies based on life-cycle cost analysis. Knowing that pavement replacement is only one solution, S&ME is familiar with numerous pavement preservation techniques and pavement rehabilitation methods to deliver the most cost effective, technically sound pavement management option for our clients.