Civil and Environmental Engineering 596

Pavement Construction

Course Introduction

CEE 596, Pavement Construction, is a required course for the Certificate Program in Heavy Construction Project Management and for the distance learning Master of Science in Construction Management or Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering program. You will have ten weeks in which to complete all course requirements.

A pavement construction graduate course is a relatively new concept; there are only one or two courses amongst the top 50 U.S. universities (in terms of the number of civil engineering graduates). However, pavement construction is a regular type of heavy construction that most people in the industry will encounter at least periodically. Most heavy construction projects involve at least some pavement construction.

Course Description

This course is designed to overview both flexible and rigid pavement construction. The topics include more than pavement construction with the goal of achieving a broad understanding of pavements with specific emphasis on construction aspects. Subjects will include an introduction to pavement types, materials, design considerations, and maintenance and rehabilitation techniques. Following this, pavement specifications, quality control, quality assurance, and specific aspects of flexible and rigid pavement construction will be covered. This course makes extensive use of Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Washington Asphalt Pavement Association (WAPA) Web sites. Course content is broadly applicable no matter which state or country the student resides.

Textbook Information

• Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving Handbook 2000. Available through the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) through their Web site. Cost is $25.00 for non-members. Also available by order through the University of Washington Bookstores.
• WSDOT Pavement Guide. Available online at the Washington State Department of Transportation Web site.
• WAPA Asphalt Pavement Guide. Available online at their Web site.

Course Objectives

In general, this course is designed to give students (1) an introduction to pavements; (2) detailed information on pavement construction, maintenance and rehabilitation; and (3) give a sense of the complexity and variability associated with pavement construction.

After completing this course, the student will be able to

• Describe the different types of pavement and why each might be used.
• Describe the physical properties of key pavement materials, tests used to measure these properties, and their effects on constructability and pavement performance.
• Explain the basics of pavement structural design.
• Describe and differentiate between typical pavement maintenance and rehabilitation techniques.
• Describe and pavement related contracts and specifications.
• Identify and describe typical tests that are used to measure quality and contract compliance.
• Recognize and describe general pavement construction operations for both flexible and rigid pavement types.
• Use contemporary technology to aid the pavement construction process.

Course Content (Topic, Instructor, Duration)

• Course Introduction and Pavement Types. An introduction to the course, pavement history, and description of different pavement types.
• Pavement Materials and Design Parameters. Aggregate, asphalt and portland cement and their use in pavements. Key considerations for pavement design (subgrade, traffic loading, environmental conditions and drainage).
• Structural Design for Flexible and Rigid Pavements. Typical methods used to design pavement structures including design catalogs and empirical approaches.
• Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation Techniques. Maintenance and rehabilitation practices including pavement distress identification for both flexible and rigid pavement.
• Paving Specifications, Quality Control, and Quality Assurance. Types of specifications and their associated advantages and disadvantages; methods of quality control and quality assurance.
• Flexible Pavement Plant and Paving Operations. Plant operations, mix transport, and placement.
• Flexible Pavement Compaction. Techniques, equipment, temperature considerations, potential problems and solutions.
• Rigid Pavement Plant, Equipment, and Placing Operations. Plant operations, mix transport, placement, consolidation, finishing, curing, and equipment.

Course Elements

Lessons

The course is organized into eight online lessons to be completed in the ten weeks allocated. The time allocated for each lesson is typically Monday through Sunday. Lesson two is a two-week lesson.

Reading

The reading assignments provide background material and a good discussion of each lesson’s major teaching points. You should read the online lesson narrative first or let the online narrative guide your reading of the referenced sections of the CD-ROMs and text. After completing the lesson, you should answer the discussion forum questions.

Reading assignments are sometimes divided into “required reading” and “supplemental reading”. As the name suggests, “required reading” must be read; you will find it difficult to complete the assignment otherwise. “Supplemental reading” is included for your benefit but you need not read it. It may, however, help you when answering discussion forum or assignment questions.

Study Questions

Study questions appear in a sidebar box at the end of each lesson. These ungraded questions are for your personal review of the material presented in that lesson. Use them to make sure you understand and can apply key concepts. If you find you cannot answer a question to your satisfaction, review the related reading and lesson parts, or contact an instructor for clarification.

Discussion Forum

An online discussion forum will be conducted each week to discuss questions posed in the assignment for each lesson, and to address any of your questions. Each of you is expected to provide a written response, or posting, to each of the questions posed in the assignment by 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time each Friday. It is assumed many of you will use the weekend to prepare your assignments. The reason for requiring participation in the discussion forum during the week is to motivate you to review the online lesson and read the required reading before the weekend, think about the issues addressed in the assigned reading, interact with the rest of the class, and ask any questions while your instructors are available.  The instructors may not be available during the weekend.

Assignments

Each lesson includes a related assignment. Three types of assignments will be made: (1) overviews of local practices; (2) computational oriented problems; and (3) use of Web based resources. The answers to some assignment questions may not be found in the specific reading material for the individual lesson. You may have to use other available resources. Assignments are due by 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the designated Monday mornings.

Examinations

There are no examinations. There will be one final essay, which you will take in a location of your choice (home, office, for example). The essay will be open book and open notes. See the link to the Final Essay on your course syllabus for more information about the essay questions.

Grading

The following elements will make up your final course grade:

Elements	% of Grade
Completed Assignments	50%
Discussion Forums	20%
Final Exam	30%
TOTAL	100%

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