ARRB has proven that we have the technical expertise and facilities to design and validate EME2 mixtures right here in Australia. We are able to undertake informed and independent evaluations so Australian road agencies and industry do not need to turn to France for this purpose anymore.
The validation of the technology’s French performance-based philosophy has been vital to its implementation in Australia. Comparing it to the French limits means ARRB is designing an EME to the proven French method, but using Australian test methods and equipment.
The Australian EME2 technology transfer composed of three major phases. The first phase was to assess the suitability of locally available construction materials such as aggregates and bitumen for EME2 construction in Australia. The second phase of the study investigated the capabilities of the Australian pavement construction machinery to successfully execute the EME2 construction to the high standard required. During the final phase, EME2’s long term pavement performance under the Australian climate and traffic loading conditions was evaluated.
Now that pavement strength data is collected at traffic speed, cracks detected automatically and roadside and roadway video collected routinely, the world of pavement and asset management is no longer constraint. The opportunities which exist due to this volume of data – and other recent and emerging technologies – for road users, owners, designers, constructors, managers and public sector treasuries, lets us explore further solutions to not just routine maintenance planning and delivery, but also on building and retrofitting resilience into transport infrastructure.
The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) is constantly looking at how the next generation of pavements, surfacings and structures are to embrace a digitally connected and motivated world.
In the modern world, complex tasks are achievable through human technology interface.
This is not only about the technologies themselves, but also what they offer and how they can be applied in delivering a 'smarter journey'.
'If only they could talk' has been said of many things. Now it is the emerging reality of roads, needing to actively communicate with the people and the vehicles they support. We at the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) explore how best to enable not just the physical connectivity of our roads, but digital connectivity as well. Our research covers the incorporation of digital technology into pavements, into roads which require only minimal closures for routine maintenance, into innovative and sustainable road building materials, as well as into alternative applications for roads, such as power generation, stormwater capture and communications.
We have a number of areas within our organisation that are pushing the boundaries on intelligent surfaces.
Changes to the transport mix and travel preferences are happening now, so how do we prepare? The Australian Road Research Board provides expert input and research on informed and improved understanding of security challenges for the network; right infrastructure choices for the community at the right price; and utilising technology to meet growing community needs and aspirations.
The Australian Road Research Board's (ARRB) embedded knowledge from more than 50 years of research and as a provider of world class research outcomes for its Members allows the organisation to bring together diverse perspectives and expertise to both identify emerging issues and provide timely advice and options for ways forward.
While expertise in core technical areas is essential, ARRB’s strength is in bringing together various project collaborators on a national and international scale to generate the multidisciplinary-based outcomes needed for implementation by member agencies.