The University of Texas at Austin maintains state-of-the-art transportation materials teaching and research facilities. These activities are under the direction of the Center for Transportation Research and the Department of Civil Engineering, which is rated among the top five civil engineering departments in the United States. The laboratory of the Superpave Asphalt Research Program is fully equipped to perform a wide variety of asphalt binder and mixture testing.
This laboratory is capable of performing standard ASTM, AASHTO, and agency mix designs according to the Marshall, Hveem, Texas gyratory, and Superpave systems. In addition, the laboratory is fully equipped to perform all the routine TxDOT test procedures. It houses a complete set of conventional asphalt binder test equipment. Since 1993, it has operated a complete set of Superpave binder analysis test equipment. Also on site is a MTS servo-hydoaulic tes apparatus capable of performing static and repeated test loads within the range from -20° to 80° C. The Asphalt Research Program is staffed with experienced,licensed professional engineers and engineering technicians that provide research and engineering services to state DOTs, federal agencies, and industry.
The South Central Superpave Center was established by the Texas DOT and FHWA in 1995. It is directed by a management committee consisting of the State DOT materials engineers in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and also representatives from the FHWA and Texas Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement Association. The management committee is chaired by Ms. Katherine Holtz, P.E. of the Texas DOT.
The Center was originally housed in the Transportation Materials Research Laboratory of The University of Texas at Austin, Center for Transportation Research. In June 1996, the Center was moved to a 500 square metre laboratory, office, and training facility in Austin, Texas. In September 1999, TxDOT moved the Center to the Texas Transportation Institute of Texas A&M University.
The Superpave centers are located at Texas Transportation Institute, Purdue University, Auburn University, the University of Nevada at Reno, and Pennsylvania State University.
For more information on the five regional Superpave centers, see "Superpave Regional Centers" reprinted with permission from the Summer 1996 Issue, Volume 10, No. 1 of ASPHALT, The Magazine of The Asphalt Institute.