Syllabus
Instructor Information
Dr. Roger W. Meier |
Course Description
This course will introduce you to common highway construction materials such as aggregate, asphalt and concrete. We will examine how they are designed and manufactured, how they are used in construction, what properties affect their performance, and how those properties are determined in the field or laboratory. We will also provide a brief introduction to asphalt pavement design using the AASHTO structural number method.
Course Objectives
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o provide an introduction to the physical and mechanical properties of highway construction materials, the methods used to measure those properties, and the specifications that help ensure consistency from one application to the next.
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To provide an introduction to commonly used methods for designing asphalt concrete and portland cement concrete mixes
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To show that the construction materials field is one of innovation and that materials and testing methods are always being improved and updated, requiring the engineer to keep up with the field beyond graduation.
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To prepare you to take the FE exam (and later the PE exam), which often include questions on asphalt and concrete mix design and asphalt pavement design.
Textbook
The textbook I used to use for this course is now, sadly, out of print. Therefore, I will teach the course using PowerPoint slides and handouts.
Homework Assignments
Unless otherwise stated, all homework will be due at the beginning of the next class period. That means 1:00, not 1:01 or 1:02. LATE HOMEWORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. If you are unable to complete an assignment due to illness, athletic team travel, family emergencies, etc., contact me before it is due to make alternate arrangements. I'll be glad to work with you to complete the assignment.
Homework will be assigned nearly every week. Homework MUST be neatly handwritten on engineering paper. With the exception of graphs, which must be created using a spreadsheet program then printed out, homework solutions done in Excel, MathCad, or similar programs will not be accepted. If the question involves a series of calculations, all of the steps must be included and must be clearly identified. The calculations should flow in a logical order down the page (one calculation per line) and final answers should be boxed or underlined (below). All graphs and charts must be done using a spreadsheet program. NEATNESS COUNTS. When you leave here and start practicing, your calculations will always be checked by another engineer, so you need to get in the habit of working in a neat, logical, orderly manner that can be easily understood by others.
Because units are a critical part of any measurement, all measurements, reduced data, and calculations must include proper units. Any values that lack proper units will be marked as wrong.
All measurements and all problem answers should be reported using the appropriate number of significant digits. The rules for significant digits can be found here. Any values that have an inappropriate number of significant digits will be marked as wrong.
I encourage you to work together on the homework, but you must do your own work. If what you hand in is simply a transcription of another student’s homework, both will be returned with a grade of zero.
Term Paper
This class includes a term paper on efforts in the highway materials and highway construction industries to "go green" by introducing new materials, reusing old materials, and changing construction practices. Your term paper should be a minimum of 1500 words and include at least three references, only one of which can be a website.
Examinations
There will be two one-hour exams plus a comprehensive two-hour final exam. The first exam will cover aggregate and pavement design, the second exam will cover concrete, and the final exam will be comprehensive.
Make-up exams will only be permitted for medical reasons, family emergencies, religious holidays, or official University business. Written documentation is required and you must notify me in advance.
Grading
Your final course grade will be calculated as follows:
10% Homework
10% Term Paper
25% Exam 1
25% Exam 2
30% Final Exam
I will not be using plus/minus grading in this class. Everyone with a final grade of 89.5 or above will have earned an A; 79.5 or above, a B; 69.5 or above, a C; and 59.5 or above, a D. Remember, you are required to get at least a C in this course for it to count toward graduation.
I do not believe in curving grades and neither should you. Grading on the curve means that for every student assigned an A there must be one student assigned an F. Would you want to be that student? If you have demonstrated mastery of the course material through your examinations, you will have earned an A regardless of your classmates’ performance. That means everyone in the class could earn an A (and I’d be absolutely delighted if that were the case).