Research focus

In addition to the further development of construction technology processes, it is above all innovations in construction material technology and process technology that allow the successive production and logistics processes to be digitally recorded and evaluated by means of measurement and communication technology analogous to the approaches of Industry 4.0. In this way, the increasingly demanded process reliability of all sub-processes and the quality requirements of a high-performance and durable concrete roadway can be guaranteed in the future.

In the research project, we adress the following focus points for the successful implementation of the proposed developments:

• The general, interdisciplinary analysis of the process chain of concrete pavement production in practical use today, in order to identify existing weak points, problem areas and sources of error, which are to be avoided within the framework of the project through innovative new technological approaches or through process adaptations and optimisations.
• The technological further development of the mixing technology in the sense of a rheology-supported mixing process control, in order to be able to provide robust and uniform fresh concretes for the bottom concrete and the top concrete of the roadway, even with the usual fluctuations in the properties of the raw materials (slight shifts in the grain size distribution, moisture fluctuations of the aggregate, temperature influences from the weather, etc.). This is the case for conventional exposed aggregate concrete surfaces as well as for other low-noise surfaces.
• The use of logistics processes in order to be able to place the concretes, which are consistent in their consistency, as required for single-layer and double-layer paving with the slipform paver.
• Improving the basic evenness of the single-layer or two-layer pavement concrete by means of measuring technology to be integrated on the paver, the quality of which is to be checked by means of a high-resolution 3D laser scan.
• Ensuring a high degree of evenness of the concrete pavement base as well as of the finished pavement surface in the wavelength range from approx. 0.5 to 50 m
• The reliable production of an exposed aggregate concrete surface by determining the required stiffness of the solidified and strength-building concrete for the safe brushing of the road surface based on non-destructive measurement using ultrasound.
• The reliable identification of the suitable strength condition of the road concrete for the timely execution of the joint cutting in transverse and longitudinal direction by means of ultrasonic measuring methods
• The integration of measurement and communication technologies for the digital networking of all process steps in the production of concrete pavements and the consolidation and evaluation of all process data
  Process monitoring for the realisation of process-dependent influence to optimise the installation quality of the concrete pavement and to ensure a high durability.
• The subsequent utilisation of condition information of the concrete pavement (ZEB) during operation in accordance with the specifications of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030
• Possible use of these systems also for the production of concrete traffic surfaces outside highways