What We Do

Pavement testing for road, parking lots, and airports

SME’s integrated team of engineers and field technicians has specialized pavement expertise including testing during construction and providing pavement solutions specific to project needs.

Pavement engineering and testing encompasses all aspects of designing, building and maintaining pavement structures. Paving projects can include roads, parking lots and airport taxiways. SME’s engineers successfully test and apply technologies that will make these pavement structures safer and more cost-effective. Our engineers have in-depth knowledge of the production and behavior of paving materials, and understand how they will deteriorate under the combined effects of traffic and the environment.

During construction, we provide testing and project administration services. We are familiar with specifications from various agencies including state and federal highway departments, ASTM, FAA, FHWA, AASHTO, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Our laboratories are inspected by CCRL and AMRL, and then certified by AASHTO and the respective state departments of transportation.
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SME provides a number of different test procedures to evaluate construction materials, paving materials, and finished pavements, including:

Review of pavement design for constructability
Performing mix designs, review proposed and/or existing mix designs
Observation of batch plant procedures and materials
Site testing and evaluations (subgrade, subbase base course, bituminous concrete, and concrete)
Laboratory testing
Project administration services (payment requests, material submittal, change orders, interpretation of project documents, and project meetings)
QA/QC services

Subgrade

The performance of a pavement depends on the quality of its subgrade layer. As the foundation for the pavement’s upper layers, the subgrade helps mitigate the detrimental effects of the climate and the stresses generated by traffic. Pavement subgrade services SME’s engineers and field technicians provide include:

Subgrade material evaluation
Subgrade investigations
Specification of subgrade stabilization methods
Moisture content evaluation
Compaction testing
Proof rolling observation
California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test
Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) evaluations
Dynamic cone penetrometer testing

Aggregate Base

Aggregates are used in granular base and subbase layers below the driving surface in both asphalt and concrete pavement structures. The aggregate base layers serve a variety of purposes, including reducing the stress applied to the subgrade layer and providing drainage for the pavement structure. SME’s team establishes and monitors aggregate quality by performing such tests as gradation analysis, specific gravity, absorption, soundness, freeze-thaw, abrasion, deleterious substances, and acid solubility.

SME’s laboratories are certified and trained in the following testing services:

Sieve analyses
Soundness of aggregate
L.A. abrasion
Specific gravity of aggregates
Unit weight of fine or coarse aggregate
Organic impurities
Aggregate gradation
Maximum density of aggregate
Deleterious pick
Crushed content
Shrinkage

Asphalt

SME’s asphalt testing services group evaluates asphalt binders, mixtures and other derivatives geared for use in the construction pavement industry. Our team of engineers and technicians maintain a high level of proficiency through experience, certifications and laboratory accreditations. They are knowledgeable in durability, adaptability to fast track construction, and proper performance of asphalt. Our services include: