QM-PAVMAT

The Synthesis of Quality Management Practices for Canadian Flexible Pavement Materials and Construction reviews practices for the quality management of materials, production and placement in flexible pavement construction. More specifically it describes:
1) Design considerations;
2) Flexible pavement materials: granular sub-base / base; hot-mix asphalt aggregates and asphalt cements (typical performance graded asphalt cements); and miscellaneous materials such as reclaimed asphalt pavement, tack coat, fillers, fibres and polymer modified asphalt cements;
3) Subgrade preparation;
4) Placement and compaction of granular sub-base and base;
5) Hot-mix asphalt production and transportation, including environmental control; and hot-mix asphalt paving and compaction - trial section, substrate preparation, tack coats, material transfer devices, joint construction and working with polymer modified asphalts.

The publication also summarizes the quality control and quality assurance sampling, testing and inspection associated with each of these materials and methods in terms of technician and testing equipment/laboratory requirements to monitor compliance with flexible pavement project quality requirements.

Lastly, the Synthesis of QM Practices offers recommendations for a QM system template based on a contractor’s quality control plan and an agency’s quality assurance plan. The template is, however, subject to the specific project requirements of an agency for flexible pavement materials and construction.

The importance of a contractor’s and agency’s commitment to quality and teamwork, at all stages of flexible pavement materials and construction methods, in order to ensure enhanced life-cycle costs and performance, is emphasized throughout.