27 May 2025

Naval Expeditionary Runway Construction Criteria: Evaluation of Reduced Flexural Strength Portland Cement Concrete under P-8 Traffic

Abstract: A full-scale airfield pavement test section was constructed and trafficked by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to investigate the impact of substandard flexural strength portland cement concrete (PCC) on the pavement structural support requirements for the P-8 aircraft. The substandard pavements were representative of those that may be encountered in remote locations where there may be a lack of locally available competent materials, standard construction equipment, or a skilled labor force. The test section consisted of two PCC surface thicknesses that closely matched those evaluated in previous studies utilizing standard-strength PCC. The test items were trafficked with a dual-wheel P-8 test gear on a heavy-vehicle simulator. The outcomes of the trafficking test showed a significant reduction in PCC pavement performance resulting from the reduction in flexural strength. Further, a comparison of observed performance to current pavement design and evaluation procedures suggested that current procedures may be overly conservative and may exceed a level of conservatism appropriate in a contingency environment.

23 May 2025

Laboratory and Full-Scale Testing of JETCON JC400 Rapid-Setting Concrete Repair Materials for Crater Repairs

Abstract: The DoD currently utilizes rapid-setting concrete (RSC) for a variety of applications, including capping airfield pavement repairs, to limit closure time. Laboratory and field criteria were previously developed for certifying proprietary products for use in various sizes of repairs to ensure performance under aircraft loads. A few certified products have been added to the qualified products list for larger repairs, but none are manufactured in the region near the Korean peninsula. To address this issue, a candidate Korean product (JETCON JC400) was evaluated via the established laboratory and full-scale testing protocol. One large (i.e., 15 ft × 15 ft) repair and two small (i.e., 8.5 ft × 8.5 ft) repairs were conducted and trafficked with simulated F-15E aircraft traffic. JETCON JC400 met all criteria; therefore, the authors recommended adding it to the US Air Force Qualified Products list for large and small pavement repairs. The material is compatible with all volumetric concrete mixers currently in the DoD inventory and has many other potential applications.

2 May 2025

Mobile Runway Edge Sheave Anchor Criteria in Asphalt Concrete Pavement

Abstract: The Mobile Runway Edge Sheave (MRES) is used in conjunction with the Mobile Aircraft Arresting System (MAAS) for setback aircraft arresting system (AAS) installations in expedient or temporary situations. There are existing criteria and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for MRES installations on portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement and soil, but these criteria have not been developed for asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The US Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) tasked the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to develop anchor criteria for the MRES in AC pavement and to perform full-scale load testing on the MRES to evaluate system response under representative loads. Three anchor stake layouts were evaluated under static and cyclic loading conditions: a 32-stake layout, a 16-stake layout, and an 8-stake layout. Elastic-plastic deflection data from the three test series were comparatively analyzed and show that the performance of the 16-stake layout was similar to that of the 32-stake layout for the given loading condition and pavement structure.

30 Apr 2025

Evaluation of Anchorage for the Bridge Supplemental Set: Uplift Capacity in Weak Soils and Installation Limits for the ROCK-IT Lead Section

Abstract: Two series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the uplift capacity of Bridge Supplemental Set (BSS) anchors in weak/dense soils. Six anchors were installed in two different sites consisting of very soft soils, and tension was applied until uplift. Experimental uplift capacities were compared to theoretical minimum capacities, which proved to be a conservative way to estimate anchor capacity. Minimum average installation torque of 1,750 ft-lb was recommended. Sixteen anchors were installed in six different sites with dense soils. Soils with N values of 22 and higher prohibited anchor installation, indicating that anchors can only be installed in soils with densities up to medium dense sandy and very still clay soils.

30 Apr 2025

Characterization and Rheological Examination of Charleroi Mix 2 Paste Constituents

Abstract: This technical report details the testing plan, methodology, and results used to characterize the paste constituent materials for Charleroi Concrete Mixture 2. Raw materials were characterized for physical and chemical properties of interest including chemical composition, mineralogy, particle size, and absorption capacity. Isothermal calorimetry was used to study the reactivity of constituent materials, and rotational rheology was used to study the impact of various constituent materials on the expected workability and fluidity of the composite paste.

30 Apr 2025

Pier Analysis Tool: User’s Manual

Abstract: This report documents the development of a rapid structural load-capacity assessment capability for ship docking and offloading structures (i.e., piers) and automation of the assessment technique into a user-friendly personal computer–based tool referred to herein as the Pier Analysis Tool (PAT). This capability provides a quick first-cut assessment of the load-bearing capacity of pier structures in terms of maximum allowable ship mooring loads and allowable weights for typical commercial and military vehicles and equipment associated with military discharge operations. The report covers the technical basis for the structural analyses along with detailed computational examples. It also provides a detailed user guide for PAT.

29 Apr 2025

Toward Objectives and Metrics for Supporting US Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Asset Management Decision-Making Tradeoffs

Abstract: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of $250 billion worth of assets. As budgets shrink and infrastructure becomes increasingly costly to maintain, USACE Civil Works (CW) must develop innovative asset management (AM) strategies to sustain these assets while also delivering maximum value to USACE and the nation. As a result, USACE-CW AM is seeking metrics capable of demonstrating the benefit of maintenance, repair, and replacement project alternatives for all USACE business lines (BLs) to support budget decision-making. This report presents 10 objectives and 51 metrics for potential use in a future USACE-CW value model. This report describes the structure and function of USACE-CW as it relates to the budget decision-making process. Next, past attempts at revising the budget decision-making process are reviewed, and the current budget framework is examined. Last, 10 objectives and 51 associated metrics are presented that represent the mission of USACE-CW and measure the attainment of this mission. Collectively, this information can support budget decision-making by helping facilitate portfolio decision analytics, resulting in a defensible decision-making process and yielding high-value budget decisions.

25 Apr 2025

Analysis Tools and Techniques for Evaluating Quality in Synthetic Data Generated by the Virtual Autonomous Navigation Environment

Abstract: The capability to produce high-quality labeled synthetic image data is an important tool for building and maintaining machine learning datasets. However, ensuring computer-generated data is of high quality is very challenging. This report describes an effort to evaluate and improve synthetic image data generated by the Virtual Autonomous Navigation Environment’s Environment and Sensor Engine (VANE::ESE), as well as documenting a set of tools developed to process, analyze, and train models from, image datasets generated by VANE::ESE. Additionally, the results of several experiments are presented, including an investigation into using explainable AI techniques, and direct comparisons of various models trained on multiple synthetic datasets.

21 Apr 2025

Evaluation of NiTech FG-NDGB Pelletized Asphalt for Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery Applications

Purpose: The NiTech Corporation’s FG-NDGB Pelletized Asphalt (PA), herein referred to as NiTech PA, was identified as a surfacing material for Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery (RADR) applications by the US Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC). AFCEC tasked the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) with evaluating NiTech PA by conducting full-scale crater repairs and applying simulated F-15E aircraft loads. The properties of the repair material were also to be obtained via laboratory characterization testing.

31 Mar 2025

USACE Relief Wells for Dams and Levees: History and Current Practice

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to review relief well practices within the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). A literature review was performed on the history and use of relief wells relief and the state of practice within the USACE. As part of this study, a survey about relief well use and maintenance practice was prepared and distributed to selected Districts containing a large number of relief wells to determine their standard operating procedures for using those wells and to learn the history of their use. Responses obtained from these Districts were tabulated and classified according to the subject categories requested. Research needs and tools were requested as part of the survey, and a large portion of the responses indicated that there is an important need for research into biofouling prevention and remediation. Finally, a laboratory experiment was performed on several commercial-off-the-shelf sensors to measure effluent flow remotely. The results of the experiment showed that remote sensing of relief well flow is viable. It was found that pore pressures could be used to measure the relief well flows over a wide range of flow rates and with an error of 10 percent or less on average. Ultrasonic sensors also performed well during testing, with an average error of 10 percent or less.