Who: Bongsuk Park, Ph.D., P.E.
When: Monday, March 3, 9:00AM – 10:00AM
Where: PKI 150 (Omaha), SEC C107 (Lincoln)
Zoom: 977 9310 0336
Title: Resilient Materials and Sustainability of Pavement Systems
Abstract: Pavement system is one of the most important infrastructures to the nation’s overall economic vitality as well as social benefits. There are two primary components to achieve high quality of pavement systems: (i) durable materials and (ii) appropriate management systems. However, modern pavement systems face increasing challenges due to changing climate conditions and evolving traffic demands, necessitating the use of more resilient and durable materials. In addition, an accurate assessment of pavement conditions within pavement management systems (PMS) remains a challenge.
This presentation will explore insights into the use of recycled materials in pavement systems and innovative methods for evaluating pavement conditions. Specifically, the development of guidelines to maximize recycled materials in asphalt mixtures will be discussed. These guidelines incorporate the key characteristics of recycled materials to effectively design asphalt mixtures. Furthermore, this presentation will introduce current trends and emerging practices that use pavement surface deflections for improved pavement condition assessments.
Future research directions will also be outlined to enhance pavement sustainability and resilience. First, the integration of non-destructive testing technologies, such as traffic speed deflectometer and ground penetrating radar, into PMS will be explored to improve the accuracy of pavement structural evaluations. In addition, an enhanced approach to predict asphalt mixture performance based on aggregate gradation characteristics will be presented to achieve a more reliable and practical asphalt mixture design. Consequently, the overarching research plan will be introduced, which can contribute to the advancement of sustainable and resilient transportation infrastructures.
Speaker Bio: Bongsuk Park is an assistant professor in the civil engineering department at Montana Technological University. He has a B.S. degree (2011) from Pusan National University in South Korea, an M.S. degree (2015), and a Ph.D. degree (2020) from the University of Florida. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida. Prior to joining the faculty at Montana Technological University, he worked as a post-doctoral research assistant at Purdue University and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). His research has encompassed various aspects of transportation infrastructure, including pavement material characterization, forensic pavement investigation, pavement management systems, and advanced pavement design and analysis.