A Methodology for Real-Time 3D Visualization of Asphalt Thermal Behaviour During Road Construction

Asphalt mixture temperature plays an essential role in the road construction process. For high-quality asphalt, it is crucial that the compaction is performed within a certain range of the temperature, known as the compaction window. The compaction of the asphalt at a temperature outside this range would compromise the quality of the final product considerably. The compaction window is predicated on a myriad of parameters such as the type of the asphalt mix, the ambient temperature, etc. However, the operators of the road construction equipment (e.g., rollers and pavers) currently rely on their professional intuitions and experiences to develop their operational strategies. This practice can be significantly improved if the operators can be provided with the real-time information about the temperature of the asphalt mat during the construction. The available solutions for the real-time monitoring of the asphalt are limited to capturing and presenting only the surface temperature or only core temperature of the asphalt mat. Given the complex behaviour of the asphalt with relation to the mixture type and the ambient conditions, this approach cannot best represent the asphalt behaviour during the construction. This paper presents an approach for capturing the real-time asphalt behaviour using multiple sensing technologies. In this approach, the core and surface temperatures of the asphalt are captured using thermologger and linescanner, respectively. These data are then translated into 3D temperature contour plots that represent the asphalt behaviour under the construction site settings in real time. Finally, the data is presented to the equipment operator via a user interface. A prototype is developed and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. The case study indicates that the presented method can improve the asphalt operation by enabling the operators to better develop their operational strategies.