Long-Term Pavement Performance Program

Resilient Modulus
Testing and Startup
Procedures
A Product Line

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 PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr)
Testing and Startup Product Line
• Why Mr Testing and the Startup Procedures
are Important
• Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
• How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
• Who Should Use the Mr Testing and Startup
Product Line and Why
• How to Get Information on the Mr Testing
and Startup Product Line

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 LTPP Mr Start-up Procedure
Product Line
 FHWA LTPP Protocol P46, Resilient Modulus of
Unbound Granular Base/Subbase Materials and
Subgrade Soils

FHWA-RD-96-176, Resilient Modulus of Unbound 

Materials Laboratory Startup and Quality Control
Procedure

 FHWA Video Tape Series

Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Is This the
Right Time?
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Startup and
Quality Control Procedure
Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Sample
3 Preparation and Test Procedure
 Resilient Modulus Lab Tests
Videotape 1
“Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Is This the
Right Time?”
– 8 minutes
– Explains resilient modulus and what it is used for.
– Describes developments that have made the testing
more consistent and easier to adopt.

– Target Audience: Administrators and engineers

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 Resilient Modulus Lab Tests
Videotape 2
“Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Startup and
Quality Control Procedure”
– 15 minutes
– Gives detailed definition of resilient modulus.
– Explains the procedure developed to ensure that a
lab is set up properly to conduct the test procedure
and to collect accurate test results.

– Target Audience: Laboratory managers and

technicians

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 Resilient Modulus Lab Tests
Videotape 3
“Laboratory Resilient Modulus Testing: Sample
Preparation and Test Procedure”
– 13 minutes
– Describes each step in the resilient modulus test
procedure, including how to prepare soil and
aggregate samples.

– Target Audience: Lab managers and technicians

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 PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
• What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr) Testing
and Startup Procedure Product Line
Why Mr Testing and the
Startup Procedures Are Important
• Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
• How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
• Who Should Use the Mr Testing and Startup
Product Line and Why
• How to Get Information on the Mr Testing
and Startup Product Line

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 Resilient Modulus 101

• AASHTO Definition:
– “A measure of the elastic property of soil
recognizing certain non-linear
characteristics.”

• Resilient Modulus = Mr
• Resilient Modulus = elastic modulus (mod. of
elasticity)
• Resilient Modulus = stress/strain
• Resilient Modulus = stiffness
• Resilient modulus  strength
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 Typical Elastic Modulus Values
(ksi)

• PCC 3,000 – 6,000

• Asphalt Concrete 500 – 2,000
• Crushed Stone 20 – 40
• Silty Soils 5 – 20
• Clayey Soils 5 – 10

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 Usefulness of Resilient Modulus

• Used to define fundamental material

properties
• Used in constitutive models
• Used to predict stress, strain, and
displacement
• Used to develop performance models
• Used in current AASHTO pavement
design guide
• Used in mechanistic design approach

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 The Resilient Modulus
Startup Procedure
• Verifies the ability of equipment
and personnel to perform resilient
modulus testing
• Developed by LTPP to ensure
consistent, repeatable and
accurate results
• Implemented in FHWA, state
DOTs, academia, and industry

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 Benefits Of Mr Startup Procedure

• Procedure useful to anyone

conducting resilient modulus
testing
• Prepared for resilient modulus of
soils but can be applied to asphalt
• Generic procedure useful to
anyone performing testing using
servo-hydraulic test systems (i.e.
complex modulus, creep, etc.)

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 PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
• What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr) Testing
and Startup Procedure Product Line
• Why Mr Testing and the Startup Procedures
are Important
Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
• How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
• Who Should Use the Mr Testing and Startup
Product Line and Why
• How to Get Information on the Mr Testing
and Startup Product Line

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 Testing and Protocol History
• 1987 - Strategic Highway Research
Program (SHRP) adopts resilient
modulus testing
• 1990 - Initial protocols developed
• 1991 - Resilient Modulus testing began
• 1992 - FHWA assumes leadership of
LTPP
• Early 1993 - SHRP Resilient Modulus
Testing Ends

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 Data Problems:
1993/1994 - SHRP data

• Serious flaws found in the data

• Large amount of data deemed
unusable
• Probable cause
– faulty electronics
– mechanical problems
– operator error

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 Causes of Data Problems

• Sample loading non-symmetrical

• Sample loaded too long
• Deformation occurs prior to loading *
• Deformation impulse shorter than
load impulse *
• Deformation fluctuation
• Deformation “flat-line” or clipping
phenomenon

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 High Testing Variability
and Low Confidence

• Poor precision and bias

– SHRP precision and bias
testing yielded 100%
variation between labs, 50%
within lab
• Many practitioners have no
confidence in test results
• Equipment standardization
lacking
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 The Mr Testing Challenge

• Significant modulus testing remained to be

completed
• Need for equipment and operator verification
procedure established

Result
– P46 test procedure revised to reflect
lessons learned
– P46 startup procedure developed to address
equipment/operator issues

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 The Startup Procedure Development
Objectives

• Develop a simple, efficient and

inexpensive methodology to verify
equipment performance and accuracy
of a laboratory

• Verify laboratory ability

(personnel/equipment) to conduct
P46 Resilient Modulus Tests

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 PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES

• What is the Resilient Modulus (Mr) Startup

Procedure Product Line
• Why Mr Testing and the Startup Procedure is
Important
• Development of the Mr Startup Procedure
How to Conduct the Mr Startup Procedure
• Who Should Use the Mr Startup Procedure and
Why
• How to Get Information on the Mr Startup
Procedure

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 Equipment

• Oscilloscope
 Function Generator
 Strain Indicator
 LVDT Modulator/Oscillator
(optional)
 NIST Traceable Proving Rings
 Micrometer Calibrator
 NIST Traceable Pressure Gauge
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 The 3-Phase Startup Process

 Verification of Electronic System

• Verification of Mechanical System

• Verification of Laboratory Ability to Conduct

P46 Resilient Modulus Test

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 Electronic System Verification
Electrical Method (Method 1)

• Focuses on the signal path from the

transducers to the digitized output
data
• Input: an electrical signal with
known frequency and amplitude
• Output: acquired digitized data
• Compares input and output signals
for a range in frequency

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 Electronic System Verification
Mechanical Method (Method 2)

• Focuses on the signal path from the

transducers to the digitized output
data
• Input: a “reference” LVDT and the
machine LVDT are exercised
mechanically with known frequency
and amplitude
• Output: acquired digitized data and
visual reference to oscilloscope
• Compares input and output signals
for a range in frequency
• Note: new procedure, not
documented in FHWA-RD-96-176,
simpler than Method 1
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 Electronic System Verification
Components Checked

• Analog signal conditioning

• Digitized signal processing
• Transducers (load cells, LVDTs)
• Signal filters
• Various layers of data acquisition
and control software

• Acceptance Criteria
– Matched input to output delays
< .5 msec
– Amplitude constant from 2 to
50 hz
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 The 3-Phase Startup Process

• Verification of Electronic System

 Verification of Mechanical System

• Verification of Laboratory Ability to Conduct

P46 Resilient Modulus Test

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 Mechanical System Verification

• Focuses on the performance

capability of the laboratory
equipment

• Uses NIST traceable calibrated

proving rings and other
measurement devices

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 Mechanical System Verification
Components

• LVDT Calibration
• Load Cell Zero
• Load Cell Calibration Certificates
• Load Cell Cal. Verification
• Dynamic Response
• Phase Angles
• Triaxial Pressure Chamber

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