{"id":232,"date":"2021-04-23T13:48:06","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T13:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/auburn-opelika\/?p=232"},"modified":"2021-04-23T13:48:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T13:48:52","slug":"recap-4-21-2021-in-person-tour-of-the-national-center-for-asphalt-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sections.aws.org\/auburn-opelika\/2021\/04\/23\/recap-4-21-2021-in-person-tour-of-the-national-center-for-asphalt-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: 4\/21\/2021 In-Person Tour of The National Center for Asphalt Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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April 22, 2021
By Alana MacLachlan<\/p>
Yesterday we toured \u201cthe NASA of asphalt\u201d, the National Center for Asphalt Technology. Right here in Auburn, AL, tucked in the trees, is a world leader in asphalt research. The tour was led by Travis Walbeck, Training Manager and Civil Engineer, who came from West Virginia to lead at NCAT. We had the opportunity to see each lab in the 20,000 square foot research building, from wear and fatigue to binder additive testing. The walls were decorated with road-related movie posters and album covers, from Abbey Road to 21 Jump Street. Travis explained all the equipment and projects underway, and thoroughly answered all our questions (and we had plenty!). It was fascinating to see something involved in every one of our lives that I had never really thought about. We were each given a memento of the occasion\u2014a small core sample of asphalt.<\/p>
After touring the labs, we were invited to see the asphalt testing track next door in Opelika, AL. The track consists of a 1.7-mile oval with 200-foot testing sections. Each section is funded by highway agencies or industry sponsors who need road testing done. The track was empty for now, but during the research cycle, there are five 156,995 lb trucks driving 16 hours a day, 5 days a week. This allows over a decade of wear to be achieved during only 2 years. The sections of concrete are then analyzed, the track is rebuilt with new asphalt parameters, and they begin again.<\/p>