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of the IRRF is really important. We
have held workshops and training
sessions focused on different aspects
of pavement engineering in the past.
Having excellent training opportunities
increases the skill sets of the engineers
who will join the industry and also
attracts new talent who want to build
their careers in this area.
Construction is a very traditional
field with a long history. In my opin-ion,
the members of the new gen-eration
coming up need to see some
progress or advancement in their area
over time to stay engaged. Education is
important, and progress and advance-ment
are also important, and the uni-versity
has a role to play in this. If
we advance the state of knowledge
and technology in road construction
and improve educational and train-ing
opportunities, we bring what is
needed to the field, and also create a
work environment that is engaging for
employees. When younger employ-ees
are involved in new technologies
and new way of doing things, they
find their work more fulfilling, and it
strengthens the industry as a whole.
What is your role at the IRRF?
AB: I am the founder and current
director of the IRRF. However, many
others are involved in this organization,
including Dr. Leila Hashemian, an
assistant professor with a solid research
program focused on pavement
engineering. We also currently have
a team of about a dozen researchers,
including one postdoctoral fellow,
as well as Ph.D. and M.Sc. students,
working on IRRF research.
In terms of IRRF research, what we
find attractive is applied research that
can be used immediately by industry.
We try to make an immediate difference
with our research. It is important that
our research is used in the field, in real
construction, and makes a difference.
What areas of research are you
involved in that intersect with
the work of the members of the
Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy
Construction Association?
AB: IRRF research covers a wide range
of topics, including winter road main-tenance,
productivity improvement
for road construction, data collection
and instrumentation. We have com-pleted
projects involving monitoring
of load-bearing capacity of pavements
throughout different seasons, investiga-tion
of efficiency of winter road main-tenance
practices, characterization of
materials for pothole repair and many
other projects.
Currently, we have ongoing research
projects related to the use of nanomate-rials
(such as nanoclay) in asphalt bind-ers
to improve asphalt performance, par-ticularly
at low temperatures. Another
ongoing project involves investigation
of asphaltene – a waste material from
Alberta oilsands – as a binder addi-tive
for high-performance asphalt pave-ment.
We recently wrapped up a project
that involved modeling the cumulative
impact of wide-base single tires on differ-ent
pavement structures and comparing
this to traditional dual tires. We also con-tinue
to monitor and collect long-term
data on the performance of the IRRF test
road. We have interest in a broad range
of topics in pavement engineering and
road construction, and we are enthusias-tic
about working with industry partners
towards practical solutions to problems.
Q&A
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