BATT Lab at NCAT test site

The BATT Lab took a trip south to Opelika, AL in the fall of 2021 to help a client install a mix we designed on a section of the famous NCAT test track. The NCAT trial will put the aramid-reinforced pavement to a rigorous test over the next two years. NCAT is a partnership between the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) and Auburn University, and since its inception in 1986, it has gained international recognition for stellar research on asphalt pavements. The aramid reinforcement product, ACE XP Polymer Fiber™ is produced by Surface Tech.

NCAT Test Track section sponsors, which include various DOTs and FHWA, select the products they want to see tested. Five additive products were chosen for testing in the Additive Group — an SBS polymer, a dry plastic, a wet plastic, rubber, and ACE XP.

For the Surface Tech, six DOTs and the FHWA co-sponsored its full 200-foot section. Surface Tech added a single dose of ACE XP Polymer Fibers® into the dense-grade Superpave mix using the company’s Sentinel auto-dosing system at East Alabama Paving’s plant.

Sensors installed underneath the pavement will monitor load and strain. Rutting, cracking and other distresses will be monitored through repeated observations. The pavement is designed for forced early failure. Instead of the typical thick pavement layers on highways, the Additive Group sections feature one monolithic, five-inch layer.

NCAT has succeeded in designing a perfect test platform for understanding early pavement failure. These are highly engineered sections of pavement that will provide excellent feedback on what works and doesn’t work. The results can be a game changer, because one real-world test is worth a thousand lab tests.