Safe and Sustainable Highways
with ASTM Standards
As billions of dollars are invested to jumpstart the improvement of highway
infrastructure, ASTM International standards are ready to contribute to the
success of these public works projects. By supporting the science and
technology of highway construction, safety, maintenance and sustainability,
ASTM standards ensure that our roadways are reliable, safe and built to last.
Moreover, during these challenging economic times, ASTM standards offer the
quality and performance that can give good returns on infrastructure investments.
Committee D04: MORE THAN A
CENTURY OF INFRASTRUCTURE
Building
For more than 100 years, ASTM International Committee D04 on
Road and Paving Materials has played a major role in helping to
guide highway construction across the United States. D04 has made
significant contributions to our infrastructure through developing
test methods and specifications used for roadway construction and
maintenance. Today, Committee D04 has a diverse membership
of approximately 700 stakeholders who participate on 29 technical subcommittees and manage more than 200 standards. Many
of these standards have been adopted in regulations by the U.S.
Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation and state departments of transportation.
D04 standards contribute to the quality of road paving and
construction materials across several areas, including bituminous
mixtures; asphalt; aggregates; sealants used in joints of road
pavements and bridges; bridges and structures, including bridge
deck protection systems; and highway traffic marking materials,
lighting and signal materials.
Among D04s significant standards is D5, Test Method for Penetration of Bituminous Materials, which gives guidance for measuring the consistency of semi-solid and solid bituminous materials.
Pavement design and analysis engineers, asphalt concrete mix designers and laboratory technicians also rely upon D6931, Test Method
for Indirect Tensile (IDT) Strength of Bituminous Mixtures, to
help predict asphalt concrete performance and evaluating reasons for
fatigue cracking, rutting and moisture susceptibility.
Subcommittee D04.51 on Aggregate Tests has developed a test
method that shortens the often time-consuming testing of bulk
aggregate materials used in asphalt and concrete mixtures. D7370,
Test Method for Determination of Relative Density and Absorption of Fine, Coarse and Blended Aggregate Using Combined
Vacuum Saturation and Rapid Submersion, enables an entire
blend to be tested in less than 30 minutes, making it ideally suited
for quality control at asphalt and concrete plants.
Supporting Innovation through
Superpave Standards
Committee D04 is also engaged in developing standards used to
promote the Superpave (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements)
system. Superpave, an outcome of the federally funded Strategic
Highway Research Program, is a system for designing asphalt mixtures so that highway engineers and contractors can ensure that the
right asphalt binder and aggregate structure are used based on the
intended roadways traffic and climate. Supporting these efforts are
D04 standards such as D7312, Test Method for Determining the
Permanent Shear Strain and Complex Shear Modulus of Asphalt
Mixtures Using the Superpave Shear Tester, a laboratory testing
protocol used at the five U.S. Superpave centers.
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Navigating a Safe Trip
Another important focus for Committee D04 is developing standards for materials used in highway signs and pavement markings. Road safety depends upon the availability of readable information both day and night, regardless of the overhead lighting,
under a variety of weather conditions and against backgrounds
of varying complexity. Subcommittee D04.38 on Highway Traffic
Control Materials helps to achieve these safety goals through
standards such as D4956, Specification for Retroreflective Sheeting for Traffic Control.
Guiding motorists is also part of the activities of ASTM Committee E12 on Color and Appearance. Subcommittee E12.10 on
Retroflection focuses on standards for measuring pavement marker
performance because road marking retroreflectivity degrades with
traffic wear and requires periodic measurement to ensure sufficient
visibility. Assisting in this process are E12.10 standards for measuring retroreflective pavement marking materials and for measuring
the daytime chromaticity of pavement marking materials, both
using portable devices.
In addition, nighttime driving is aided by ASTM E809, Practice
for Measuring Photometric Characteristics of Retroreflectors. E809
focuses on the relationship between the vehicle headlamp, retroreflector and the drivers eye geometry. Also used to aid night drivers
is E811, Practice for Measuring Colorimetric Characteristics of
Retroreflectors Under Nighttime Conditions, which helps ensure
that drivers receive the same message day or night.
Building Highways that Last:
Committees C01 and C09
The work of ASTM Committees C01 on Cement and C09 on
Concrete and Concrete Aggregates has also played an important role in building highways. C01 and C09 are known for their
diverse range of members and extensive partnerships with key
industry and government organizations.
In the transportation field, Committees C01 and C09 cooperate closely with the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The groups mission is to
advocate for multimodal and intermodal transportation and
to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S.
Congress. The AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways
develops all major engineering standards, guides and policies for
the highway program, either as a unit or through its subcommittees; investigates, studies and reports on all engineering activities and developments, including all phases of road and bridge
design, construction, maintenance, traffic requirements, roadside
development, aesthetics, tests and investigations of materials,
and protection of the environment. To help achieve its goals,
AASHTO adopts and references numerous cement and concrete
standards developed by C01 and C09.
The cooperative efforts of Committee C01 and AASHTO are
evident in C01s flagship cement standard, C150, Specification
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for Portland Cement. C150 covers the physical and chemical
requirements for manufacturing eight types of portland cement,
the basic ingredient of concrete. C150 is used by manufacturers
and purchasers of cement as well as concrete producers, specifiers
and users, and is harmonized with AASHTOs M85, Specification
for Portland Cement.
As federal, state and local transportation agencies work to
rebuild the nations infrastructure, Committee C09 performance
standards will have a valuable role in maximizing the investments
that are made in our highways. Many of the standards in C09s
portfolio contribute to the quality and extended service life of
roads and highways. Notable among these is C1202, Test Method
for Electrical Indication of Concretes Ability to Resist Chloride
Ion Penetration, which helps ensure that roadways resist salt penetration and related degradation and hazards such as potholes.
Winter driving can be perilous at times, particularly on snow
covered and icy roads. To help better gauge the performance
of our highways in cold weather conditions, Subcommittee
C09.67 on Resistance to the Environment offers C666/C666M,
Test Method for Resistance of Concrete to Rapid Freezing and
Thawing, and C672/C672M, Test Method for Scaling Resistance
of Concrete Surfaces Exposed to Deicing Chemicals.
Similarly, the standards developed by Subcommittee C09.26
on Chemical Reactions provide guidelines for testing of reactions
that cause damage to road surfaces. Many of these standards are
focused on alkali-silica reactivity that can cause serious expansion
and cracking in concrete, resulting in major structural problems
and sometimes necessitating demolition. Among these are: C289,
Test Method for Potential Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Aggregates
(Chemical Method); C1105, Test Method for Length Change of
Concrete Due to Alkali-Carbonate Rock Reaction; and C1567,
Test Method for Determining the Potential Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Combinations of Cementitious Materials and Aggregate (Accelerated Mortar-Bar Method).
Extending Highway Life
through Geosynthetics
The use of geosynthetic technologies in the highway system life
cycle is also a focus of ASTM activities. Geosynthetics, a range of
polymeric materials and products that provide durability in civil
engineering applications, improve the lifespan of roads and other
structures by stabilizing foundations, promoting drainage and
preventing erosion, generally at a lower cost than other products.
ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has developed
more than 130 standards that facilitate the design and selection
of geosynthetic materials in the construction and environmental
industries. D35 standards such as D4355, Test Method for Deterioration of Geotextiles by Exposure to Light, Moisture and
Heat in a Xenon Arc Type Apparatus, and D4491, Test Methods
for Water Permeability of Geotextiles by Permittivity, help
measure the endurance of geotextiles for drainage and erosion
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control in highway construction projects.
Supporting advances in
Stormwater Management
Also playing a role in managing our nations highways are the
standards of ASTM Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems.
Within F17s portfolio of standards are specifications that advance the usage of high density polyethylene pipe in municipal
stormwater applications, such as culverts for highway drainage.
Among the notable F17 standards in this area is F2306/F2306M,
Specification for 12 to 60 in. [300 to 1500 mm] Annular Corrugated Profile-Wall Polyethylene (PE) Pipe and Fittings for
Gravity-Flow Storm Sewer and Subsurface Drainage Applications.
Stronger Bridges with
A01 Steel Standards
Fortifying the United States billions of bridges is just one of the
focus areas of ASTM Committee A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel
and Related Alloys. A01, ASTM Internationals founding committee, has helped specify the steel used in bridge construction
for more than 100 years. One of the committees first standards,
A7, Specification for Steel for Bridges, was released in the early
20th century and was used by engineers for many years to order
steel for large bridge construction projects.
This laid the groundwork for current A01 activities in the field
of bridge construction. Today, ongoing efforts are coordinated by
Subcommittee A01.02 on Structural Steel for Bridges, Buildings,
Rolling Stock and Ships. Flagship among the committees standards
is A709/A709M, Specification for Structural Steel for Bridges,
which covers carbon and high-strength low alloy steel structural
shapes, plates and bars and quenched and tempered alloy steel for
structural plates intended for use in bridges.
A standard from Subcommittee A01.05 on Steel Reinforcement, A1055/A1055M, Specification for Zinc and Epoxy
Dual-Coated Steel Reinforcing Bars, offers a tool for promoting
the long-term strength of bridges and supports the production
of high performance, corrosion-resistant steel. The standard is
beneficial to state departments of transportation that require high
performance corrosion protection of reinforcing steel bars in
coastal environments and that use deicing salts on roads, bridges
and decks.
Many standards from ASTM Committee F16 on Fasteners
are also utilized in infrastructure construction. F16 provides more
than 75 standards for bolts, screws, nails and other fasteners for
a wide range of industrial applications. Subcommittee F16.02 on
Steel Bolts, Nuts, Rivets and Washers offers standards that specify
products and components used in bridge construction. These
include A325, Specification for Structural Bolts, Steel, Heat
Treated, 120/105 ksi Minimum Tensile Strength, which covers
the requirements for two types of heavy hex structural bolts
Safe and Sustainable Highways with ASTM Standards
made of quenched and tempered. Offering similar utility is F436,
Specification for Hardened Steel Washers, covering washers for
mechanical and structural use with bolts, nuts, studs and other
internally and externally threaded fasteners.
Committee E17: Enhancing Road
Safety and Traffic Management
The standards of ASTM Committee E17 on Vehicle-Pavement
Systems help to ensure safe journeys on roads and highways.
Committee E17 provides more than 70 standards related to pavement management technologies, vehicle pavement interactions
and intelligent transportation systems.
One important aspect of E17 activities is measuring pavement
friction and skid resistance. E17 standards such as E274, Test
Method for Skid Resistance of Paved Surfaces Using a Full-Scale
Tire, offer transportation industry stakeholders a valuable testing
tool. An important standard from Subcommittee E17.21 on Field
Methods for Measuring Tire Pavement Friction is E2340, Test
Method for Measuring the Skid Resistance of Pavements and
Other Trafficked Surfaces Using a Continuous Reading, FixedSlip Technique. Regulatory agencies and state highway departments can use E2340 to reduce the potential of skidding accidents
by identifying pavements that have become too slippery to be safe.
Traffic management agencies and traffic monitoring device
manufacturers benefit from E17 standards like E2300, Specification for Highway Traffic Monitoring Devices, and E2532,
Test Methods for Evaluating Performance of Highway Traffic
Monitoring Devices. Both of these standards provide methods
for specifying and conducting acceptance tests for devices used
to monitor and measure traffic flow parameters, such as vehicle
count, speed, lane occupancy and vehicle presence.
Many state departments of transportation also collect traffic
data to better manage traffic or provide travel information as
part of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Some agencies
save and archive this data after its initial real-time use and make
it available to other data users, who may know little about the
data or how it was collected. To make this historical data more
useful in improving the overall efficiency of transportation
systems, Committee E17 offers ASTM E2665, Specification for
Archiving ITS-Generated Traffic Monitoring Data, which covers
a consistent way to document such data.
pursued in a manner that considers natural resources. Promoting
sustainability in highway construction is the focus of standards
development activities in numerous ASTM technical committees,
including several mentioned earlier in this article.
Subcommittee D04.99 on Sustainable Asphalt Pavement Materials and Construction is developing standards involving sustainable bituminous materials and construction that consider and
improve environmental impact. This includes asphalt materials
that utilize recycled materials and industrial byproducts, such as
reclaimed asphalt payment and roofing shingles, and ground tire
rubber. The group is currently developing its first standard, which
will help state agencies implement green programs and inform
industry stakeholders on the use of sustainability standards for
highway construction materials.
The use of recycled materials in highway construction is also
the focus of a new activity in ASTM Committee D18 on Soil
and Rock (Subcommittee D18.14 on Geotechnics of Sustainable
Construction), which is working on standards related to using
industrial byproducts together with earth materials for sustainable infrastructure construction.
The activities of these two groups build on other ongoing
ASTM activities for sustainable highway construction materials.
These include existing standards from Committee C09 already
mentioned. Subcommittee C09.24 on Supplementary Cementitious Materials offers standards that enable the reuse of industrial materials in concrete, including: C311, Test Methods for
Sampling and Testing Fly Ash or Natural Pozzolans for Use
in Portland Cement Concrete, and C618, Specification for
Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use
in Concrete. Several new standards are also in development by
C09.24. Similar goals are being achieved by Subcommittee C09.27
on Ground Slag, which develops standards for reusing ground
granulated blast-furnace slag.
The ongoing reliability and safety of Americas roads and
highways are essential to the quality of our everyday lives and
the long-term economic vitality of our nation. As we set out
to strengthen our highway infrastructure for the future, ASTM
standards are prepared to help guide the way.
Facilitating the Development of
Green Highways
With the increased focus on our planets long-term environmental health, work to rebuild our nations infrastructure must be
ASTM International Technical Committees on
Highway Infrastructure Construction
The ASTM technical committees highlighted in this piece include:
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A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys
C01 on Cement
C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates
D04 on Road and Paving Materials
D18 on Soil and Rock
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D35 on Geosynthetics
E12 on Color and Appearance
E17 on Vehicle-Pavement Systems
F16 on Fasteners
F17 on Plastic Piping Systems
September 2011
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