Real-time method for automated prediction of internal layer temperature of paving material during paving operations

Method for determining internal temperature of a paving material. When a mat of a paving material is distributed over the road, internal temperature of the material at any particular spot on the mat is determined based on surface temperature measured at that spot and on the dependency between internal and surface temperatures of the material derived from temperature measurements taken at the at least one other, representative, spot on the mat. The dependency is derived from substantially simultaneous measurements of internal and surface temperatures of the material taken at the representative spots on the mat over a period of time. In this manner, cooling behavior of the particular paving material being used at the paving site, for particular ambient conditions present at that time, may be determined for the representative spots and then used to predict cooling behavior for other spots on that mat.