Department of Transportation Awards Florida Tech $261,042

January 20, 2005

Florida Tech professors Dr. Paul Cosentino and Dr. Edward Kalajian, of the Department of Civil Engineering, have obtained a two-year contract with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for $261,042 to continue their research on recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). The current contract objectives are to assess the statewide variability of RAP and to evaluate and develop specifications on the long-term behavior of RAP and RAP-soil mixtures.

RAP is the material milled during rehabilitation of old or distressed asphalt pavements. While some RAP may be recycled in asphalt pavement, much of the RAP is stockpiled.

Cosentino and Kalajian have shown that this material can be used as a highway fill product, individually or mixed with soil. Laboratory and field tests have demonstrated the acceptability of RAP for various highway applications, including highway embankments or any areas outside the paved surface. The variability of the RAP and RAP-soil mixtures as well as long-term sustainability are unknown.

The effective re-use of RAP also provides environmental and economic benefits by freeing up landfill space and saving material disposal costs. "RAP is relatively simple to work with, thus leading to substantial engineering benefits," said Cosentino.

Dr. David Horhota of the FDOT is the project manager. The Florida Tech graduate research assistants are Desislava Dikova and Carl Sandin.