NCAT Pavement Test Track
June 2000
Test track installation demonstrates the power of Tensar's GlasGrid® system to reduce cracking
- Owner/Developer: Auburn University
The Alabama Department of Transportation requested that GlasGrid 8501 be installed on the NCAT test track so that any construction difficulties or performance issues could be documented. In June 2000, GlasGrid 8501 was installed between a pair of two inch layers of stone matrix asphalt (SMA) on section W1 of the inaugural NCAT Pavement Test Track.
In 2006, following trafficking, longitudinal cracking was observed in the control test section. No longitudinal cracking was observed in the last 100 feet where GlasGrid was used to reinforce the asphalt.
In 2011, after over 40 million ESALs of accelerated pavement damage, the GlasGrid installation was examined again. Longitudinal cracking was found in the control section along the centerline joint and between the inside and outside lanes while no longitudinal cracking was observed in the GlasGrid treated section.
The site was visited once again in 2018 after 60 million ESALs of loading. The unreinforced section had more cracking present in addition to the joint cracking first observed in 2006. Also, there was now random cracking within the lane area as well as additional cracking extending from the centerline cracking. In the GlasGrid reinforced section, cracking was now appearing; however, it was limited to only the 18 year old construction joint.
