Facilities

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The Advanced Pavement Laboratory (APL) is part of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (SSEBE) at Arizona State University. SSEBE is one of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, which is a world-class university with technologically advanced facilities for education and research. The facility is located on the main Tempe campus, about 10 minutes from the Sky Harbor International Airport.

The APL is housed inside of a state-of-the-art, Leed Silver-certified Interdisciplinary Science and Technology 2 (ISTB-2) building on the Tempe Campus. The equipment housed in this laboratory allows for full characterization of asphalt concrete mixtures, asphalt binder, and unbound materials. The APL is adjacent to the Advanced Geotechnical Laboratory, the Structural Mechanics Laboratory, and Cementitious Materials Laboratory, which together provide for comprehensive studies of pavements. The APL is considered one of the best and most advanced laboratories in the United States and occupies more than 4000 square feet of space.


Resources

Mixture Testing

The mixture testing laboratory is the main research laboratory for advanced material characterization testing of asphalt mixtures and unbound materials. Several state-of-the-art servohydraulic closed-loop systems are housed in this section of the laboratory.

Binder Testing

The binder testing section of the laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment for asphalt binder testing and characterization. The main equipment includes Superpave Rotational Viscometer, Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO), and Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV). The Arizona State University Pavements and Materials program provides graduates with a comprehensive view of pavement technology. By housing both the asphalt binder and asphalt mixture laboratories in the same area, all students are exposed to the most critical national and international issues facing the asphalt paving technology community.

Mixing Laboratory

Within the mixing laboratory, asphalt concrete sample preparation is carried out using SHRP-approved procedures incorporating the Superpave Gyratory compactor and Marshall hammer methods.

  • Gyratory compactors
  • Large ovens for reliable sample fabrication and conditioning
  • Water bath for sample conditioning
  • Suspended in water balance measurement for specific gravity determination
  • Apparatus for specific gravity determination of aggregates and mixture
  • Ignition oven for QC/QA operations
  • High-efficiency ventilation systems

Handling and Preparation

Many handling and preparation activities are performed in an area adjacent to the laboratory. This area supports sieving and batching of aggregates for preparing asphalt mixtures and also houses a storage warehouse for stockpiling study materials. The area is also equipped with an automated coring machine and two saws for preparing test samples of various sizes and geometry.

Student Workspace

Students performing research in ISTB 2 have multiple areas for work and study. Dedicated office space for graduate student research assistants is provided on ISTB 2, Paul C. Helmick Center, and Goldwater Center. On the second floor of the Advanced Pavement laboratory are dedicated desks for students to work as their experiments are conducted. Isolated study areas are available on the second-floor mezzanine for students to utilize. the Noble Science Library is less than a 5-minute walk away from ISTB 2.