Cracking is a major pavement distress that jeopardizes road serviceability and traffic safety. Automated pavement distress survey (APDS) systems have been developed using digital imaging technology to replace human surveys for more timely and accurate inspections. Most APDS systems require special lighting devices to illuminate pavements and prevent shadows of roadside objects that distort cracks in the image. Most of the artificial lighting devices are laser based, which are either hazardous to unprotected people, or require dedicated power supplies on the vehicle. This study is aimed to develop a new imaging system that can scan pavement surface at highway speed and determine the severity level of pavement cracking without using any artificial lighting. The new system consists of dual line-scan cameras that are installed side by side to scan the same pavement area as the vehicle moves. Cameras are controlled with different exposure settings so that both sunlit and shadowed areas can be visible in two separate images. The paired images contain complementary details useful for reconstructing an image in which the shadows are eliminated. This paper intends to presents (1) the design of the dual line-scan camera system for a high-speed pavement imaging system that does not require artificial lighting, (2) a new calibration method for line-scan cameras to rectify and register paired images, which does not need mechanical assistance for dynamical scan, (3) a customized image-fusion algorithm that merges the multi-exposure images into one shadow-free image for crack detection, and (4) the results of the field tests on a selected road over a long period. / text

This thesis investigates and documents fundamental studies of highway materials (asphalt engineering properties) especially on different modified asphalt binders and mixtures in order to understand failure mechanisms at low temperature and superior performance of such asphalt binders with the aim of preventing premature cracking on Ontario highways. In addition, seven asphalt binders of different compositions were used as a template for study and this research work is tailored towards Superpave® performance-based specification testing with the aim of improving asphalt pavement performance under various conditions and consequently reducing premature cracking in order to achieve long lasting highways. Based on the actual applied pattern of Superpave® specification criteria, the mechanical responses of the binders are analyzed by extended bending beam rheometer (eBBR), tensile stress ductilometer (Petrotest DDA3®), compact tension test (Instron AsphaltPro®), double-edge-notched tension and single-edge-notched tension (MTS 810 universal testing machine) protocols. The objective of this study entails establishing and developing of a proper procedure for the testing of binders with the aim of ranking (grading) the performance after validation of laboratory and field experiments. Analysis of the results appears to show that the premature distress on the Highway 417 trial sections can be attributed to reversible aging tendency (wax crystallization) at low temperatures coupled with low fatigue resistance of the binders. The results suggest that different polymer modifications had significant influence on the performance of asphalt mix as demonstrated from the results obtained from essential and plastic work of fracture using double-edge-notch-tension test (DENT). Crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) parameter consistently show the performing grading of asphalt binder while compact tension test protocol provides plane strain fracture toughness (K1c) which could be used to rank binders with respect to fracture resistance at low temperature. Hence, CTOD is a promising parameter which can be used to establish performance ranking of the binders. / Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-26 09:54:23.308

The use of high technology in common daily tasks is boarding all areas of civil engineering; pavement evaluation is not the exception. Accordingly, current pavement imaging systems have been able to collect images at highway speeds and with the use of proper software, this digital information can be translated into pavement distress reports in which all distresses are classified and presented by their type, extent, severity, and location. However, a number of issues regarding the quality of pavement images and the appropriate conditions to acquire them, remain to be addressed. These issues surfaced during the development of a pavement evaluation vehicle for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The work involved in this thesis proposes basic criteria to evaluate the performance of pavement imaging systems. Mainly four parameters (1) spatial resolution, (2) brightness resolution, (3) optical distortion, and (4) signal to noise ratio, have been identified to assess the quality of a pavement imaging system. First, each of the four parameters is studied in detail in USF's Visual Imaging Laboratory to formulate relevant criteria that can be used to evaluate imaging systems. Then, the developed criteria are used to evaluate the FDOT Survey Vehicle's pavement imaging system. The evaluation speed does not seem to have any significant influence on the spatial resolution, brightness resolution and signal to noise ratio. Little or no optical distortion was observed on the images on wheel paths. Limitations of the imaging system were also determined in terms of the brightness resolution and noise. The conclusions drawn from this study can be used to (1) enhance pavement imaging systems and (2) setup appropriate guidelines to perform automated distress surveys, under varying lighting conditions and speeds to obtain good quality images.