BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:EventsCalendar PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York LAST-MODIFIED:20240422T053451Z TZURL:https://www.tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:EDT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:EST TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Topic: Enhancing the Performance, Safety, and Longevity of Mass achusetts Pavements: Superpave5, Crowdsourced Friction, Profiler Certifica tion, and Friction-Integrated Balanced Mix Design Abstract: This dissertat ion is aimed to help the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassD OT) improve pavement durability, safety, and performance by addressing fou r needs: improving in-place density through mixture design, evaluating eme rging technologies for continuous friction monitoring, improving the relia bility of smoothness measurements used for construction acceptance, and in corporating surface characteristics into balanced mix design (BMD). The fi rst study evaluated Superpave5 (SP5) as an alternative to MassDOT's curren t Superpave4 (SP4) methodology, which has struggled to consistently achiev e MassDOT’s required 95% in-place density despite increased voids in min eral aggregate (VMA) requirements. SP5 mixtures designed at 5% air voids w ith reduced gyrations were developed using two Massachusetts aggregate sou rces and compared with SP4 mixtures. SP5 demonstrated improved compactibil ity and workability while meeting MassDOT's Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test ru tting criteria. Results showed that cracking performance depended more on material source than design methodology, permeability remained acceptable, and FlexPAVE™ simulations predicted reduced long-term rutting for SP5 m ixtures. These findings support SP5 implementation without MassDOT's addit ional VMA requirement. The second study assessed an emerging crowdsourced vehicle friction measurement (CVFM) technology against MassDOT's ASTM E274 locked-wheel skid trailer (LWST). CVFM estimates tire– pavement frictio n using vehicle sensors and multiple estimation modules representing diffe rent driving conditions. Measurements using both methods along Interstates 90 and 95 during a January 2026 winter storm yielded 126 spatially matche d pairs. Overall, CVFM readings averaged approximately two skid numbers hi gher than LWST measurements, a statistically significant but practically s mall difference. Narrowing the analysis down to the traction control syste m (TCS) module, which generated most matched pairs, demonstrated statistic al equivalence within ASTM E274 precision limits. Results support CVFM for winter operations and network-level friction screening as a complement to LWST. The third study evaluated the practicality of the profiler certific ation thresholds in AASHTO R 56-25 using five years of Massachusetts certi fication data. AASHTO R 56-25 requires inertial profilers to achieve 92% r epeatability and 90% accuracy relative to a reference device. The repeatab ility threshold yielded an average passing rate of 82.5%, while the accura cy threshold yielded only 39.2%, indicating that the accuracy requirement may be overly restrictive. Statistical analysis showed that reducing the a ccuracy threshold to 84% would raise the average passing rate to 73.3%. In addition, an absolute International Roughness Index (IRI) deviation limit of ±5 in./mi produced consistent passing rates of 82-83% across smooth a nd medium smooth sections. The final study developed a conceptual framewor k for incorporating friction into BMD. Two mixtures from the National Cent er for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track met rutting and cracking crite ria but exhibited substantially different field friction, demonstrating th e need to include surface characteristics in BMD. Laboratory testing on gy ratory-compacted circular specimens from the same mixtures, Three-Wheel Po lishing Device, Dynamic Friction Tester and British Pendulum successfully characterized initial friction and polished friction, reproducing similar field friction ranking of both mixtures. Collectively, this research provi des MassDOT with implementable approaches to improve pavement durability t hrough SP5, enhance roadway safety through continuous friction monitoring and friction-integrated BMD, and improve smoothness acceptance through pra ctical profiler certification criteria. ADVISOR(S): Commonwealth Professor Walaa St. Mogawer, P.E. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering ( wmogawer@umassd.edu) COMMITTEE MEMBERS:       Dr. Raymon Bonaquist, P. E., Advanced Asphalt Technologies                Professor Benjami n Shane Underwood, Civil & Environmental Engineering, N.C State University Professor Daniel MacDonald, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineeri ng Professor Mazdak Tootkaboni, Department of Civil & Environmental Engine ering                NOTE:                All EAS Student s are ENCOURAGED to attend.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms /11-6-26-eas-doctoral-dissertation-defense-by-mazen-kandil.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Topic: Enhancing the Performanc e\, Safety\, and Longevity of Massachusetts Pavements: Superpave5\, Crowds ourced Friction\, Profiler Certification\, and Friction-Integrated Balance d Mix Design

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Abstract:

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This dissertation is aimed to help the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) improve pavement durability\, safety\, and performance by addressing four needs: improving in-place density through mixture design\, evaluating emerging technologies for continuous friction monitoring\, improving the reliability of smoothn ess measurements used for construction acceptance\, and incorporating surf ace characteristics into balanced mix design (BMD). The first study evalua ted Superpave5 (SP5) as an alternative to MassDOT's current Superpave4 (SP 4) methodology\, which has struggled to consistently achieve MassDOT’s r equired 95% in-place density despite increased voids in mineral aggregate (VMA) requirements. SP5 mixtures designed at 5% air voids with reduced gyr ations were developed using two Massachusetts aggregate sources and compar ed with SP4 mixtures. SP5 demonstrated improved compactibility and workabi lity while meeting MassDOT's Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test rutting criteria. Results showed that cracking performance depended more on material source than design methodology\, permeability remained acceptable\, and FlexPAVE ™ simulations predicted reduced long-term rutting for SP5 mixtures. Thes e findings support SP5 implementation without MassDOT's additional VMA req uirement. The second study assessed an emerging crowdsourced vehicle frict ion measurement (CVFM) technology against MassDOT's ASTM E274 locked-wheel skid trailer (LWST). CVFM estimates tire– pavement friction using vehic le sensors and multiple estimation modules representing different driving conditions. Measurements using both methods along Interstates 90 and 95 du ring a January 2026 winter storm yielded 126 spatially matched pairs. Over all\, CVFM readings averaged approximately two skid numbers higher than LW ST measurements\, a statistically significant but practically small differ ence. Narrowing the analysis down to the traction control system (TCS) mod ule\, which generated most matched pairs\, demonstrated statistical equiva lence within ASTM E274 precision limits. Results support CVFM for winter o perations and network-level friction screening as a complement to LWST. Th e third study evaluated the practicality of the profiler certification thr esholds in AASHTO R 56-25 using five years of Massachusetts certification data. AASHTO R 56-25 requires inertial profilers to achieve 92% repeatabil ity and 90% accuracy relative to a reference device. The repeatability thr eshold yielded an average passing rate of 82.5%\, while the accuracy thres hold yielded only 39.2%\, indicating that the accuracy requirement may be overly restrictive. Statistical analysis showed that reducing the accuracy threshold to 84% would raise the average passing rate to 73.3%. In additi on\, an absolute International Roughness Index (IRI) deviation limit of ± 5 in./mi produced consistent passing rates of 82-83% across smooth and med ium smooth sections. The final study developed a conceptual framework for incorporating friction into BMD. Two mixtures from the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track met rutting and cracking criteria bu t exhibited substantially different field friction\, demonstrating the nee d to include surface characteristics in BMD. Laboratory testing on gyrator y-compacted circular specimens from the same mixtures\, Three-Wheel Polish ing Device\, Dynamic Friction Tester and British Pendulum successfully cha racterized initial friction and polished friction\, reproducing similar fi eld friction ranking of both mixtures. Collectively\, this research provid es MassDOT with implementable approaches to improve pavement durability th rough SP5\, enhance roadway safety through continuous friction monitoring and friction-integrated BMD\, and improve smoothness acceptance through pr actical profiler certification criteria.

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ADVISOR(S):

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Commo nwealth Professor Walaa St. Mogawer\, P.E. Department of Civil & Environme ntal Engineering (wmogawer@umassd.edu)

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COMMITTEE MEMBERS:      

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NOTE:                All EAS Students are ENCOURAGED to attend.

Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/11-6-26-eas-doctora l-dissertation-defense-by-mazen-kandil.php

DTSTAMP:20261026T152328 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261106T110000 LOCATION:CIE – Main Conference Room (Room 4A) SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:EAS Doctoral Dissertation Defense by Mazen Kandil UID:bbd557eadabd2b990080badaaa9e5986@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR