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LTPPBind Makes
the Grade in the Classroom
Since the introduction of FHWA's LTPPBind software in 1998, pavement
engineers have used the program to more easily select the correct performance
graded (PG) binder to use for a specific location when implementing the
Superpave mix design system. Now college engineering students studying
the Superpave binder specification, which classifies binders based on
their suitability in a range of climatic conditions, are finding the software
to be an equally effective aid.
Fouad Bayomy, a professor at the University of Idaho, introduced LTPPBind
to students in two of his classes this year-an undergraduate construction
materials course and a graduate pavement materials course. Students "loved
it," he reports. "A student can use the program and within an
hour, he or she can become comfortable with it. It is a good tool for
self learning and checking."
Using the program's climatic data from nearly 8,000 weather stations in
the United States and Canada, students can investigate all temperature
possibilities for a particular location, make adjustments for different
levels of traffic loads and speeds, and determine the appropriate PG grade
for an asphalt mix in seconds. "All of these tasks are ordinarily
very time consuming and may not be possible for students to do manually,"
says Bayomy.
Bayomy became familiar with the LTPPBind when he spent a year working
with the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) studies team in Washington,
DC. He plans to introduce the software to other classes that he teaches,
noting that "the program is a great tool whenever a Superpave PG
binder is to be selected."
LTPPBind is an enhanced version of the SHRPBIND software that was originally
developed by FHWA, based on work done under the Strategic Highway Research
Program. An updated version of LTPPBind, Version 2.1, was released last
year. The new version included more data, as well as enhancements to the
program's data summary reports. The software is available on CD-ROM or
can be downloaded from the LTPP Web site (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/bind/order.cfm).
To obtain a copy on CD-ROM, contact the LTPP customer service line at
423-481-2967 (email: ltppinfo@fhwa.dot.gov).
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