From 2007 to 2015, WRI worked on two Federal Highway Administration-sponsored programs, Fundamental Properties of Asphalts and Modified Asphalts III (FPIII) and the Asphalt Research Consortium (ARC). Both were meant to help advancing national goals of improving the performance, useful life, and economics of asphalt pavements.
The Fundamental Properties program correlated the chemical and physical properties of asphalt binders, aggregates and additives with their performance properties as “in-service” pavements. The Asphalt Research Consortium worked to cooperatively address key issues in asphalt performance, especially to promote technologies that can be put into service right away.
Both programs emphasized collaborative processes. To ensure that research addressed the needs of the asphalt community and other stakeholders, both the Fundamental Properties of Asphalts Research Program and the Asphalt Research Consortium relied on formalized input from the FHWA, the Expert Task Groups on (1) Binders, (2) Mixtures and Construction, and (3) Models, as well as industry and state representatives, in the development of their annual research plans.
For more information, see below.
FHWA Tech Briefs
