The International Grooving and Grinding Association (IGGA)—a technology partner—has released an updated guide specification for the Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS),“NGCS Construction on Existing or Newly Constructed Roadways”.
NGCS refers to a concrete surface designed to reduce noise levels without tires losing their grip on the road surface and uses a combination of diamond grinding and grooving on the concrete surface. This standard developed by the IGGA specifies the procedures for project level construction of the NGCS on existing or newly constructed roadways using diamond grinding and grooving techniques. This standard does not apply to any other diamond grinding or grooving processes and should not be used for construction of NGCS test sections. Also found within this standard are guidelines for levels of acceptance related to the desired surface characteristics. The user of this standard shall be responsible to ensure that all local safety, health and environmental standards are made a part of the specifications…
Larry Scofield, Director, Pavement Innovation-American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), said that revisions to the guide spec, specifically narrowing the blade settings, were made to further reduce the “skittering” or lateral stability concerns. He said California developed longitudinal grooving in the 1960’s and constructed more than anyone else at that time and since. During its early deployment, they evaluated a number of things including groove width. Initial research showed the 0.095 in. blades produced less “skittering,” so since the late 1960’s, California has required these narrower blades. He added this is the first change that has been made to NGCS since the proof of testing.
To download the GUIDE SPEC from the IGGA website, please click here.