Over the years, FORTA-FI® have been put to the test in real-world head-to-head Control vs. Fiber trial projects around the country. In these projects, asphalt mixtures reinforced with FORTA-FI have been placed in direct competition with asphalt mixtures that are not reinforced with fiber in order to accurately compare the performance results.
NCAT is most commonly known for their renowned test track that utilizes accelerated pavement testing (APT). During each testing cycle
10 million ESALs (about 10 years’ worth of traffic) can be applied to the track in only 2 years. FORTA-FI is featured in a Porous Friction Course (PFC) mix in section E9B which was sponsored and funded by the Alabama DOT when it was placed in 2012.
After three full test cycles and 30 million ESALs (30 years’ worth of traffic) this section has remained STRONGER LASTING™ with zero cracking.
Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) “accelerated pavement testing” program was launched at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) using their “heavy vehicle stimulator”. This simulator will run a wheel assembly – which applies a heavily weighted load to a test pavement, day and night for several months.
FORTA-FI was used in one pavement section (3” SMA-12.5 + fiber reinforced additive) in order to measure the benefits fiber reinforced pavement has in reducing reflective cracking. The accelerated pavement testing program will enable VDOT to determine how different pavement designs and new materials respond to load testing before putting them to use in real-world projects.
