In a civil engineering laboratory at the University of
Arkansas Engineering Research Center, several groups of men and women stand
around piles of rock and gravel. Their assignment is to separate these piles
into smaller piles for analysis, but there’s a catch. Each smaller pile must be
a representative sample of the larger pile; it must contain the same proportion
of rock, gravel, sand and dirt as the original pile. In order to do this, they
mix the rocks thoroughly and carefully divide the original pile into four
parts, using a broom to keep every piece of sand and dust in the correct pile.
Then, they discard two of the piles and mix the remaining two together.
Finally, they weigh the sample. If it is still too large to be tested, they
will repeat the process.
These are not college students; they are highway department
employees and contractors whose jobs will involve quality control testing on
the state’s highway construction projects. In order to ensure that our roads
are safe and sturdy, highway department officials and contractors conduct many
different types of tests. Aggregate — the gravel or crushed stone that provides
structure to concrete and asphalt — must be tested to make sure is has the
proper gradation and density for each project. Officials must also test the
strength and other qualities of concrete and asphalt, and they perform tests on
the soil under roadways.
The two and a half day course these students are taking is
over aggregates. After they get the right sample size, they will learn how to
use special sieves to separate the sample into course and fine material so they
can make sure the aggregate contains the right proportion of each.
In 1996, a new federal regulation required that states use
“qualified sampling and testing personnel” for projects involving federal money.
In most states, the local transportation department trains its own employees
and contractors to perform this testing, but in Arkansas, the University of
Arkansas Center for Training Transportation Professionals performs all of this
training and certification, providing the state with the security of having a
third-party certifying these important professionals. The center trains around 400 or 500 students a year.
In addition to certifying these employees, the Center for Training Transportation Professionals also
provides laboratory certification, visiting labs where the testing is conducted
to make sure all the equipment and procedures are correct.
Stacy Williams, director of the center, explained why
certification is so important. “Part of the issue of quality is consistency,”
she said. “There are test methods out there, but people don’t always do it
right. Variations get passed down.” At the Center for Training Transportation Professionals, all inspectors, engineers and
contractors receive the same training and take the same tests.
Ralph Hall, who was the assistant chief engineer for operations
at the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department in 1996, recalls that involving the University of Arkansas in this
project was an obvious choice. Dan Flowers, the director of the department at the
time, was already working closely with civil engineering professors Walter
LeFevre and Kevin Hall through the Mack Blackwell Transportation Center. “Dr. Hall was very interested and
instrumental in showing us what the university could do,” said Ralph Hall, who
is now the assistant to the AHTD director. “It seemed to all fit together right
at the time.”
Having this training and testing associated with a university
has several additional benefits. Civil engineering students can serve as test
proctors, which gives them hands-on experience as well as opportunities to
network with highway department professionals and transportation contractors.
This provides an important link between the University of Arkansas civil
engineering department and the industry that it serves.
Another benefit is the effect this link has on research.
Williams, whose research involves developing standards for the testing of new
asphalt materials, finds the contacts she makes through the Center for Training Transportation Professionals program to be
invaluable. “We’re part of the community,” she said.
Working closely with the training center and transportation department staff, who are also
responsible for inspecting and “spot checking” contractors’ labs, can also give
the contractors a new perspective on inspections and bridge the gap between
these groups.
“They can ask their inspectors questions,” Williams
explained. “And when people challenge the inspection protocol, they can explain
the reasons why these specifications are in place.”
As director of the training center, Williams has seen a lot of changes.
Lately, she has noticed more new contractors coming in for certification, which
she sees as a sign that the economic downturn, which caused a decrease in
enrollment several years ago, is easing. She also noticed that with the
downturn, small businesses began selling out to larger companies, making the
industry more consolidated.
The training center is changing, as well. Recently, it developed online
modules that give students an opportunity to get a head start on skills before
the classes begin. In addition, an online refresher for the aggregates class,
which doesn’t require any re-certification, ensures that inspectors and
contractors stay up to date on the latest information.