STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Each month, or every other month, a student will provide a 1-page illustrated abstract of the research they are currently conducting. This is a wonderful opportunity for the student, for our International Society for Concrete Pavements (ISCP) Members, and for the transferring and sharing technology/research through our concrete paving industry.
The ISCP “STUDENT RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT” for October 2022 is Eric Ribeiro da Silva, a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil).
BIO:
Eric Ribeiro da Silva is a PhD candidate at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP) (São Paulo, Brazil) under the supervision of Prof. José Tadeu Balbo. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Civil Engineering and obtained his master’s degree in Transportation Engineering at Polytechnic School of Engineering at USP in 2016. Silva’s research over the last years has been focused on using of low frequency ultrasonic tomography for inspecting concrete slab thickness and steel reinforcement positioning (longitudinal reinforcement and dowel bars) of concrete pavements.
TITLE:
Application of ultrasonic tomography in the analysis of construction parameters conformity of concrete pavements and their structural implications
Slab thickness and the positioning of constructive elements like reinforcement and dowel bars are critical aspects of performance for cast-in-place concrete pavements, which makes it fundamental to verify the constructive conformity for such parameters.
Currently, non-destructive methods which apply magnetic technology, radars and ultrasonic tomography have been employed to verify those parameters. Beyond ensuring high productivity during the surveys, non-destructive methods allow to inspect slab thickness and the position of elements embedded in the concrete without damaging the pavement structure.
The research conducted by Silva uses the MIRA device based on the ultrasonic tomography which has been employed to inspect concrete pavements seeking to evaluate the influence of the construction techniques on the conformity of the dowel bars positioning in the joints and the uniformity of the concrete slab’s thickness. The figures below depict the MIRA device and demonstrates the inspection procedure of a bus corridor composed of jointed-plain concrete pavement (JPCP) in the city of São Paulo.
Field inspections have involved different types of concrete pavements: JPCP in bus corridors and airport apron as well as experimental sections of continuously reinforced concrete pavements (CRCP) and ultrathin whitetopping. The figure below depicts the result of an inspection conducted in a JPCP joint of an airport apron.
Moreover, an experimental section is being constructed in order to evaluate the influence of the construction techniques adopted by the Brazilian specifications on the flatness of base layers (cement-treated or hot-mix asphalt base layer) and their consequences in the slabs thickness conformity and dowel bars positioning.
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ISCP would like to feature a “STUDENT RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT” each month, or every other month. If you would like to nominate a student, or if you are a student and would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please send ISCP an email to: newsletter@concretepavements.org
ALL SPOTLIGHTS:
DECEMBER 2021—Inaugural: Katelyn Kosar, Phd Student-Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pitt): www.concretepavements.org/2021/12/14/new-at-iscp-student-research-spotlight/
JANUARY 2022: Aniruddha Baral, Ph.D. Candidate-Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign: www.concretepavements.org/2022/01/15/student-research-spotlight-jan-2022/
FEBRUARY 2022: Jordan Ouellet, Tech, BEng, MASc, PhD Candidate, Teaching and Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: www.concretepavements.org/2022/02/26/student-research-spotlight-february-2022/
MARCH 2022: Sampath Kumar Pasupunuri, Ph.D. candidate, Pavement Engineering-School of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK: https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/03/31/student-research-spotlight-march-2022/
APRIL 2022: Anupam B R, Pursuing his doctorate-Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, India: https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/04/15/student-research-spotlight-april-2022
MAY 2022: Andréia Posser Cargnin, Ph.D. Candidate, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/05/09/student-research-spotlight-may-2022/
JUNE 2022: Charles Donnelly, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/06/24/student-research-spotlight-june-2022/
JULY 2022: Amir Malakooti, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/07/30/student-research-spotlight-july-2022/
AUGUST 2022: Haoran Li, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/08/24/student-research-spotlight-august-2022/
SEPTEMBER 2022: Sumit Nandi, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (Roorkee, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/09/18/student-research-spotlight-september-2022/