道路工程毕业设计外文翻译---高速公路设计与施工

原文

Highway Design and Construction: The Innovation Challenge Author: Robert E. Skinner Jr.

Innovations and advances in research are changing the way highways are built in America.

The Egyptians were pouring concrete in 2500 BC, and the Romans used it to construct the Pantheon and the Colosseum. By the mid-1800s, Europeans were building bridges with concrete, and the first “modern” concrete highway pavements appear ed in the latter part of the 19th century. Naturally occurring asphalts, which have been used for waterproofing for thousands of years, came into common use in road construction in the 1800s. The first iron bridge was constructed in 1774, but by the end of the 19th century steel had largely replaced iron in bridge construction. These materials—concrete, asphalt, and steel—are now the mainstays of highway and bridge construction throughout the world, as well as of most types of public works infrastructure. Concrete and steel, the most versatile of these materials, are used for bridges and other highway structures; concrete and asphalt are used for roadway pavements.

Everyone is familiar with concrete, asphalt, and steel, and some of us have worked with them, perhaps on home improvement projects. This familiarity, coupled with the long history of their many uses, has led many otherwise technically savvy people to believe that these materials are well understood, that their performance can be easily and reliably predicted, and that the technical challenges in using them for highways were overcome long ago. However, such notions are largely incorrect and misleading.

For example, consider concrete, which is a mixture of portland cement, sand, aggregate (gravel or crushed stone), and water. Its performance characteristics are determined by the proportions and characteristics of the components, as well as by how it is mixed and formed. The underlying chemical reactions of concrete are surprisingly complex, not completely understood, and vary with the type of stone. Steel may be added for tensile strength (reinforced concrete), and a variety of additives have been identified to improve the workability

and performance of concrete in particular applications and conditions. Damage and deterioration to concrete can result from excessive loadings and environmental conditions, such as freeze-thaw cycles and chemical reactions with salts used for deicing.

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Many factors contribute to the

urgent need for innovation in

highway construction.

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Concrete is the most heavily used substance in the world after water (Sedgwick, 1991). Worldwide, concrete construction annually consumes about 1.6 billion tons of cement, 10 billion tons of sand and crushed stone, and 1 billion tons of water (M.S. Kahn, 2007). Given transportation costs, there is a huge financial incentive to using local sources of stone, even if the properties of that stone are less than ideal. Thus concrete is not a homogenous material. In truth, an unlimited number of combinations and permutations are possible.

Much the same can be said of asphalt—technically, asphaltic concrete—which is also a mixture of aggregate (gravel or crushed stone), sand, and cement (asphalt binder); economics promote the use of locally available materials; and the underlying chemistry is not well understood. The characteristics of asphalt binder, for instance, vary depending on the source of crude oil from which it is derived.

The metallurgy of steel is probably better understood than the chemistry of either asphalt or concrete, but it too is a mixture with virtually limitless combinations. Strength, toughness, corrosion resistance, and weldability are some of the performance characteristics that vary with the type of steel alloy used and the intended applications.

As uses evolve and economic conditions change, we have a continuing need for a more sophisticated understanding of these common materials. Even though they are “mature” products, there is still room for significant incremental improvements in their performance. Because fundamental knowledge is still wanting, there is also considerable potential for breakthroughs in their performance.

Factors That Affect Highway Construction

All other things being equal, stronger, longer lasting, less costly highway materials are desirable and, given the quantities involved, there are plenty of incentives for innovation. In highway transportation, however, all other things are not equal. A number of other factors contribute to the urgent and continuing need for innovation.

First, traffic volume and loadings continue to increase. Every day the U.S. highway network carries more traffic, including heavy trucks that were unimagined when the system was