Long-Term Pavement Performance

Program

Resilient Modulus
Testing and
Startup Procedures
A

Product Line

PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr)
Testing and Startup Product Line
Why Mr Testing and the Startup
Procedures are Important
Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
Who Should Use the Mr Testing and
Startup Product Line and Why
How to Get Information on the Mr Testing
and Startup Product Line
2

LTPP Mr Start-up
Procedure Product Line
FHWA LTPP Protocol P46, Resilient Modulus of Unbound
Granular Base/Subbase Materials and Subgrade Soils

FHWA-RD-96-176, Resilient Modulus of

Unbound Materials Laboratory Startup and
Quality Control Procedure

FHWA Video Tape Series

Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Is This
the Right Time?
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Startup
and Quality Control Procedure
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Sample
Preparation and Test Procedure

Resilient Modulus Lab Tests

Videotape 1
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Is This
the Right Time?
8 minutes
Explains resilient modulus and what it is used
for.
Describes developments that have made the
testing more consistent and easier to adopt.
Target Audience: Administrators and engineers
4

Resilient Modulus Lab Tests

Videotape 2
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Startup
and Quality Control Procedure
15 minutes
Gives detailed definition of resilient modulus.
Explains the procedure developed to ensure
that a lab is set up properly to conduct the test
procedure and to collect accurate test results.
Target Audience: Laboratory managers and
technicians

Resilient Modulus Lab Tests

Videotape 3
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Sample
Preparation and Test Procedure
13 minutes
Describes each step in the resilient modulus
test procedure, including how to prepare soil
and aggregate samples.
Target Audience: Lab managers and
technicians

PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr) Testing
and Startup Procedure Product Line

Why Mr Testing and the

Startup Procedures Are
Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
Important

How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure

Who Should Use the Mr Testing and Startup
Product Line and Why
How to Get Information on the M r Testing
and Startup Product Line

Resilient Modulus 101

AASHTO Definition:
A measure of the elastic property of soil
recognizing certain non-linear
characteristics.
Resilient Modulus = Mr
Resilient Modulus = elastic modulus (mod. of
elasticity)
Resilient Modulus = stress/strain
Resilient Modulus = stiffness
Resilient modulus strength

Typical Elastic Modulus

Values (ksi)
PCC
3,000
6,000
Asphalt Concrete 500 2,000
Crushed Stone
20 40
Silty Soils
5 20
Clayey Soils
9

5 10

Usefulness of Resilient Modulus

Used to define fundamental material
properties
Used in constitutive models
Used to predict stress, strain, and
displacement
Used to develop performance
models
Used in current AASHTO pavement
design guide
Used in mechanistic design approach

The Resilient Modulus

Startup Procedure
Verifies the ability of
equipment and personnel to
perform resilient modulus
testing
Developed by LTPP to ensure
consistent, repeatable and
accurate results
Implemented in FHWA, state
DOTs, academia, and industry
1

Benefits Of Mr Startup Procedure

Procedure useful to anyone
conducting resilient modulus
testing
Prepared for resilient modulus of
soils but can be applied to
asphalt
Generic procedure useful to
anyone performing testing using
servo-hydraulic test systems (i.e.
complex modulus, creep, etc.)

PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
What is the Resilient Modulus (M r) Testing
and Startup Procedure Product Line
Why Mr Testing and the Startup Procedures
are Important

Development of the Mr Startup

How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
Procedure

Who Should Use the Mr Testing and Startup

Product Line and Why
How to Get Information on the M r Testing
and Startup Product Line

Testing and Protocol History

1987 - Strategic Highway Research
Program (SHRP) adopts resilient
modulus testing
1990 - Initial protocols developed
1991 - Resilient Modulus testing
began
1992 - FHWA assumes leadership of
LTPP
Early 1993 - SHRP Resilient Modulus
Testing Ends

Data Problems:
1993/1994 - SHRP data
Serious flaws found in the
data
Large amount of data
deemed unusable
Probable cause
faulty electronics
mechanical problems
operator error
1

Causes of Data Problems

Sample loading non-symmetrical
Sample loaded too long
Deformation occurs prior to
loading *
Deformation impulse shorter
than load impulse *
Deformation fluctuation
Deformation flat-line or
clipping phenomenon
1

High Testing Variability

and Low Confidence
Poor precision and bias
SHRP precision and bias
testing yielded 100%
variation between labs, 50%
within lab

Many practitioners have no

confidence in test results
Equipment standardization
lacking
1

The Mr Testing Challenge

Significant modulus testing remained to be
completed
Need for equipment and operator
verification procedure established

Result
P46 test procedure revised to reflect
lessons learned
P46 startup procedure developed to address
equipment/operator issues
1

The Startup Procedure

Development Objectives
Develop a simple, efficient and
inexpensive methodology to
verify equipment performance
and accuracy of a laboratory
Verify laboratory ability
(personnel/equipment) to
conduct P46 Resilient Modulus
Tests

PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr) Startup
Procedure Product Line
Why Mr Testing and the Startup Procedure
is Important
Development of the Mr Startup Procedure

How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure

Who Should Use the Mr Startup Procedure
and Why
How to Get Information on the Mr Startup
Procedure
2

Equipment
Oscilloscope
Function Generator
Strain Indicator
LVDT
Modulator/Oscillator
(optional)
NIST Traceable Proving

Rings
Micrometer Calibrator
NIST Traceable Pressure
Gauge

The 3-Phase Startup Process

Verification of Electronic System
Verification of Mechanical System
Verification of Laboratory Ability to
Conduct P46 Resilient Modulus Test

Electronic System Verification

Electrical Method (Method 1)

Focuses on the signal path

from the transducers to the
digitized output data
Input: an electrical signal with
known frequency and
amplitude
Output: acquired digitized data
Compares input and output
signals for a range in frequency
2

Electronic System Verification

Mechanical Method (Method 2)
Focuses on the signal path from the
transducers to the digitized output
data
Input: a reference LVDT and the
machine LVDT are exercised
mechanically with known frequency
and amplitude
Output: acquired digitized data and
visual reference to oscilloscope
Compares input and output signals
for a range in frequency
Note: new procedure, not
documented in FHWA-RD-96-176,
simpler than Method 1

Electronic System Verification

Components Checked
Analog signal conditioning
Digitized signal processing
Transducers (load cells, LVDTs)
Signal filters
Various layers of data
acquisition and control software

Acceptance Criteria

Matched input to output

delays < .5 msec
Amplitude constant from 2
to 50 hz

The 3-Phase Startup Process

Verification of Electronic System
Verification of Mechanical System
Verification of Laboratory Ability to
Conduct P46 Resilient Modulus Test

Mechanical System Verification

Focuses on the
performance capability of
the laboratory equipment
Uses NIST traceable
calibrated proving rings
and other measurement
devices

Mechanical System Verification

Components

LVDT Calibration
Load Cell Zero
Load Cell Calibration
Certificates
Load Cell Cal. Verification
Dynamic Response
Phase Angles
Triaxial Pressure Chamber
2