Engineering Commons^™

A Bank Gravel Base Containing Calcium Chloride [Report No. 1], William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report is concerned with a bank gravel base construction project, and particularly with that part of the base containing calcium chloride as a stabilizing agent. The project was carried out on a relocation of U.S. 62, between Kuttawa in Lyon County and Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. A part of the project, as shown on the general location map in Fig. 1, was in Livingston County between the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.

Comparative Study Of The Physical Properties Of Traffic Paints, A. C. Peed Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traffic or zone paints have become a major item of expenditure for highway departments with their increasing mileages and with the increase in traffic using the highways. Extending the mileage requiring marking and increasing the traffic wear on the marking has necessitated successively larger purchases of paint and associated equipment. As this market became larger increasing numbers of manufacturers have entered the field with a great diversity of formulations having differing properties.

In order to bring some order out of this situation the Research Laboratory in cooperation with the Division of Traffic undertook a study of the paints as offered …

Observation On Seal Coats, Tack Coats, Penetration Macadam, And Blade Spread Hot Mix In 1951, William B. Drake, Harvey J. Field Jr., S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

During the 1950 construction season the Research Division observed the construction of several types of seal coats, a few tack coats and a penetration macadam pavement, A report, covering mostly construction practices on these projects, was submitted to the Research Committee at the February meeting in 1951. The report is titled "Observations on Seal Coats, Tack Coats, and Penetration Macadam Construction in 1950," and dated January, 1951.

A follow-up of most of these projects is submitted here, The performance of the seals was greatly influenced by failure of the bases during the very severe winter of 1950-51. Considerable frost action …

Spherical Lens Optics Applied To Retro-Directive Reflection, James H. Havens, Allie C. Peed Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This paper describes some expedient applications of elementary optical principles to the evaluation of glass-bead reflectorizing systems for highway signs and markers. 'The optical function of spherical lenses in achieving reflex-reflection is illustrated both photographically and diagrammatically. Various optical designs are discussed and analyzed. By simple geometric optics, the efficiency of these systems is correlated with the practical performance criteria for retro-directive reflectorization.

Clay Mineralogy And Soil Stabilization, James H. Havens, William A. Goodwin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This paper attempts to resolve a general concept of soil rheology from the standpoint of clay mineralogy, ion-exchange, properties of clay-water systems, and volume relationships existing between clay-water systems and granular structures. Both theory and experimental data are presented.

In the experimental phase, synthetic soils of varying clay contents were prepared from carefully fractionated soil constituents. These were subjected to combined-stress analyses, tests for plasticity characteristics, and detenninations of other physical properties.

Vibratory Compaction Of Base Courses, Kentucky Highway Materials Research Laboratory

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Early this month, on a field trip with Mike Logan of tho Bureau of Public Roads and R. D. Medley, Asst. Director of Design, I had an opportunity to look over a project in Ohio where a vibratory method of compaction was being used in tho construction of a macadam base course, This type of compaction is relatively new, it having been tried for the first time in this country about four years ago, To my knowledge, the first published report on the procedure was made in the Proceedings of the Highway Research Board, Volume 27, page 148, 1947.

This …

Evaluation Of Plant Mix Surface Treatments, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This project made use of six bituminous materials and ten aggregate gradations in plant mix paving operations. The test sections were installed by state forces in 1942 and 1943. The object was to determine which aggregate gradation with a specific bituminous material was best suited for an application of 75 pounds per square yard surface treatment.

The bituminous materials used were MC-5, RC-5, RT-12, PAC-5 (85 to 100 penetration), PAC-7 (120 to 150 penetration), and PAC-8 (150 to 200 penetration). Twenty sections of MC-5 and ten sections of RC-5 were laid in 1942; all the sections containing the other materials …

Report Of An Inspection Of Pavement Construction On The New Jersey Turnpike, L. E. Gregg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Progress Report On Experimental Jointing Installations For Concrete Pavements, S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Combined in this report are descriptions of the progress of three individual experimental joint installations. Each of these includes a series of two or more experimental joints of special design, installed in concrete pavement in lieu of the conventional types employed in their respective construction projects.

These experimental joints included at one location a prefabricated neoprene seal; and, at two locations, aluminum load transfer devices, All installations were contraction joints only, Periodic inspections of these have been made and will be continued on two of the projects until adequate performance records are established. The condition of concrete about the joints …

Report No. 3 On A Concrete Pavement Without Transverse Joints, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This is the third report of observations and operations pertaining to a concrete pavement without the usual transverse joints constructed in the summer of 1949. Report No. 2 which was presented to the Research Committee December, 1949, contained a detailed description of the project, pictures of the class of cracking described, a record of the crack filling operation to December, 1949, and three crack survey reports with a strip map of the project.

The purpose of this report is to present three additional crack surveys taken in 1950 with the additional crack filling operations up to this time. All of …

Field And Laboratory Evaluation Of Roadside Sign Surfacing Materials, James H. Havens, Allie C. Peed Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This paper discusses the physical and optical characteristics of sign materials and also the design and application of a Reflectometer as devised and used by the Kentucky Department of Highways in the testing of these materials, Accelerated weathering procedures and specification standards are described.

Field studies paralleling the laboratory work and a possible correlation between the two are described. The field work consists of several thousand individual observations covering thirty different sign surface types under actual conditions on a night-visibility driving-course. Most of the major types of surfaces now available are represented. This information is presented in the form of …

An Investigation Of Lean Concrete Mixes As Base Courses For Bituminous Surfaces [Jan. 1951], S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Cement concrete bases for pavements with bituminous surfaces are, of course, not new. However, it has been many years since concrete has served this purpose except as a pavement itself ultimately resurfaced after years of service. The outstanding qualities of many roads which developed in this way were obvious without any particular tests, and for many years there apparently was no attempt to evaluate them. Probably structural value was first investigated in tests on airfields in Florida, Ohio and California. Although the original concrete pavements in all cases were heavy in comparison with highway sections, the results of the tests …

Observations On Seal Coats, Tack Coats And Penetration Macadam Construction In 1950, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Early in the 1950 construction season the Division of Design requested that the Research Division observe some new methods and materials that were being used in bituminous construction. The projects chosen in most cases represented several of the type throughout the state. There were some instances though where the procedure or material was used in only one project.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the materials and the methods which were being used. The nature of this study required that only visual inspections be made. Particular emphasis in this report is placed upon observations of …

Proposed Specification Class I, Type C And Blade Spreading Hot Mixes, L. E. Gregg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Following the May 24, meeting of the Specifications Committee you and I discussed briefly some diagrams showing the comparative gradation between other mixes and the proposed Class I, Type C, surface mix, and you asked that we prepare some information for members of the Specifications Committee showing the effect of the proposed limits, In the process of doing this He accumulated data on mixes used by some other states, and gradations of some mixes that have been used here in our state. Finally, some data on blade spreading of hot mixes in Houston, Texas were obtained by correspondence, This memorandum …

A Survey Of Acidity In Drainage Waters And The Condition Of Highway Drainage Installations, James H. Havens, James L. Young Jr., Harvey J. Field Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Every creek gulley and raw interrupted by roadway fills and embankments must be provided with an adequate drainage conduit under the pavement. If the natural drainage is impeded or the conduit is not functioning properly, impounded water over-runs the pavement, seeps through the fill, and eventually disintegrates the section or reduces its stability. The topography in Kentucky, through varied sectionally, requires on the average, one cross-drain for every thousand feet of roadway. Obviously, these drainage structures are of considerable economic importance in the highway program, not only from the standpoint of initial construction costs, but also from consideration of the …

Measurement Of Surface Irregularities And Riding Qualities Of High Type Bituminous Pavements, Harvey J. Field Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Studies of riding qualities as determined by irregularities in high type bituminous pavements were first treated in Report No. 1 on this subject in December, 1949. At that time interest was centered as much on specifications as on the causes, the thought being that specifications did not provide satisfactory tolerances to produce surfaces with good riding qualities. Specifically, tolerances over relatively short distances longitudinally were though to be at fault.

It was found early in that work that variations in the lateral direction were causing considerable roughness but since longitudinal variations were being studied primarily, no actual measurements were made …

B.P.R. Project On Correlation Of Truck Traffic And Pavement Conditions, Kentucky Highway Materials Research Laboratory

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Locations for the Test Sections within the Control Sections and as close as possible to the Loadometer Stations established by the Division of Planning have been selected and are described in this report. With but one or two exceptions, there is reasonable certainty that these sections of pavement can be kept in service without major changes for a period of five years. However, there are repairs that should be made on the pavements in two of the sections in order to prevent rapid deterioration that is likely to occur if these are not corrected at the beginning of the study.

Supplemental Report On Unit Weight Of Aggregates, S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

An Installation Of An Experimental Joint For Concrete Pavements, Harvey J. Field Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The experimental joint described in this paper involves the use of a new type load transfer set-up which was developed by the Oxford Manufacturing Company, Oxford, Indiana, and produced by the Reynolds Metals Company. The producers designed this apparatus on the assumption that the present joints used in concrete pavement construction are not adequate. For example, from the standpoint of load bearing, the dowel bars which theoretically carry the load from one slab to the other are not sufficient in that the very shape of the bars (circular) allows only a limited bearing surface. In order to eliminate the rusting …

Determination Of Unit Weights Of Aggregates In The Laboratory And At The Source, S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

As a result of meetings with producers, a committee of Highway Department engineers recommended that a study be made of various type of aggregates from statewide sources; the objective being to arrive at a standard of evaluating unit weight of aggregates of various but commonly recognized characteristics. It was further desired that a factor be determined which could be applied to a given aggregate for computing its unit weight with reasonable accuracy; taking cognizance of specific gravities and densities as influenced by particle shapes and gradation.

Prefabricated Neoprene Joint Sealer, A. C. Peed Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

On November 18, 1948, the assembly of joints with prefabricated neoprene sealers was demonstrated by representative of the Lastite Joint Company, 105 W. Madison Street, Chicago 2, Illinois, on the construction project on U.S. 27, about 5 miles south of Alexandria. Installation was not possible at that time due to the fact that the contract was temporarily without cement.

Installation was made on November 30, 1948, under the supervision of a representative of the company. This installation was not completely satisfactory due to the inexperience of the paving crew with this type of joint. The joint at Station 622÷22 was …

Some Chemical, Physical And Mineralogical Features Of Soil Colloids, James H. Havens, James L. Young Jr., William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The -1 micron portion of several diversified soils were separated by sedimentary fractionation. Physical properties were evaluated on the -1 micron portion, the +1 micron portion, and on the original -40 sample. The -1 micron portion was analyzed for clay mineral identity by X-ray diffraction, and analyzed chemically for associated materials such as the oxides of Iron, Aluminum, Calcium, and lv!agneeium.

These data present several possibilities and trends as to the inter-dependency of the involved variables, other considerations have been devoted to the geologic origin of several samples and to various physico-chemical relationships.

Concrete Pavement Without Transverse Joints, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This is a report of observations and operations pertaining to a concrete pavement without the usual transverse joints constructed during the summer of 1949.

The project which is on U. S, 31-W is designated as Simpson County, FI-239 (4), and runs from Station 9+11 at the Tennessee State Line to Station 311+40 at the city limits of Franklin (See Fig. 1 for layout). It consists of a 22-foot concrete pavement underlain by 1-1/2-inches of compacted crushed limestone (Size No. 10) for insulation and leveling. The slabs are of air-entrained concrete made with the agent interground in the cement, There is …

Measurement Of Surface Irregularities And Riding Qualities Of High Bituminous Pavements, Harvey J. Field Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report covers work completed up to the present time on the measurement of irregularities affecting the riding qualities of high type bituminous Pavements. The largest portion of this study was devoted to new construction involving Class I, Plant Mix Bituminous Concrete pavements although other roads were studied on the same basis for comparison purposes.

The purpose of the project was to evaluate the roughness characteristics of high type bituminous pavements by measuring the surface irregularities and interpreting them in terms of existing specifications. In evaluating these pavement irregularities two methods were used; one with which the surface was actually …

Study Of Acid Water Conditions In Kentucky, L. E. Gregg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Effect Of Blended Coarse Aggregate On Air-Entrained Concrete Progress Report 3, S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this investigetion was to study the durability characteristics of a river gravel, used as coarse aggregate for concrete, with respect to four major fractions separated in accordance to their general mineralogical classification. This aggregate was from the same stock of Ohio River gravel that was used in earlier phases of this Project reported in 1947.

Since this gravel consisted of several rock types varying in mineralogic constituents, it was conceivable that poor performance could possibly be attributed to some undesirable fraction or fractions, rather than to the aggregate as a whole. The separation of this aggregate was …

Erosion Of Longitudinal 40in Corrugated Metal Pipe, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Report No. 2 On A Concrete Pavement Without Transverse Joints, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This is a report of observations and operations pertaining to a concrete pavement without the usual transverse joints constructed during the summer of 1949.

The project which is on U.S. 31-W is designated as Simpson County, FI-239, and runs from Station 9+11 at the Tennessee State Line to Station 311+40 at the city limits of Franklin (See Fig. 1 for layout). It consists of a 22-foot concrete pavement underlain by 1-1/2-inches of compacted crushed limestone (Size No. 10) for insulation and leveling. The slabs are of air-entrained concrete made with the agent interground in the cement. There is a longitudinal …

Cooperative Investigation Of Joint Spacing In Concrete Pavements, S. T. Collier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

During the summer of 1940 the Kentucky Department of Highways, with the Public Roads Administration participating, constructed 6.27 miles of investigational pavement as a cooperative research project on joint spacing. This project was one of six planned by the Public Roads Administration and the Portland Cement Association in cooperation with six highway departments. The five other states participating were California, Michigan, Hinnesota, Missouri, and Oregon. The project selected for this jointing study in Kentucky is in Daviess County, approximately six miles southeast of Owensboro, on Kentucky Route No. 71 (Layout map in Figure 1).

The experimental program was outlined for …

Investigation Of Field And Laboratory Methods For Evaluating Subgrade Support In The Design Of Highway Flexible Pavements, Robert F. Baker, William B. Drake

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Four different methods of evaluating subgrade support under flexible pavements were studied: (1) Field CBR; (2) North Dakota Cone; (3) Bearing Plates; and (4) Laboratory CBR.

Approximately 435 miles of flexible pavements in Kentucky were represented. The roads were selected so as to give a wide range in conditions of traffic, soil areas, and design. A total of 185 locations were investigated, and 338 cone tests, 291 field CBR's, and 117 series of plate tests were conducted. There were 178 subgrade samples for which the laboratory CBR test was conducted. Undisturbed samples for future triaxial tests were obtained at 21 …