Demonstration of Seismic and Maturity Testing Technologies at Aurora Municipal Airport

An extensive and integrate laboratory—field experiment was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using maturity and seismic nondestructive technologies to estimate in-place slab thickness and early-age concrete strength. The work was carried out in conjunction with the construction of a taxiway at Aurora Municipal Airport, located in the greater Chicago area. Results from this experiment show that concrete strength parameters can be estimated from either maturity or seismic modulus (or both) with appropriate calibrations. Seismic tests were performed with the free-free- resonant column (FFRC) device in the laboratory and with the portable seismic pavement analyzer (PSPA) in the field. The concrete slab thickness measurement is merely a by-product of the seismic test conducted for strength estimation. The impact-echo measurements with the FSPA are reasonably repeatable. On the average, a level of accuracy of about 3% to 4% is anticipated. The use of cores for calibration with the impact-echo method can minimize the potential for systematic errors in results.