Production, Construction and Maintenance of Asphalt Concrete Pavements

A well-known quote is In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is, by Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut.

In Civil Engineering, particularly those aspects where in-situ construction is carried out, this is very applicable. No matter how well you design your materials and structures, without a high quality construction process you will not get the result you aim for.

In this course students learn for the specific case of an asphalt pavement how the construction process influences whether the intended material and structural quality is actually realized. Most of the lectures are given by teachers from practice, ensuring up-to-date information from practising engineers.

The various steps in pavement construction, from the production of bitumen to that of asphalt concrete and the transport, laying and compaction thereof, are discussed. For each step the challenges, potential choices and quality control methods and their effects are presented.

Many of the choices depend on the division of responsibility between client and contractor, and this effect and the chances that occurred over time is also part of this course. Finally, what matters is the performance of the pavement. For this reason, the effect mishaps in production and construction can have on this performance and how this affects Asset Management and maintenance planning, is treated in this course as well.

During the course, a field trip is organised to allow students to see one or more aspects of pavement production and construction real time. Participation is voluntary, but registration is required.