Materials Engineering

Materials Engineering is the specialty of engineering concerned with the component materials in the design and construction of civil works, including transportation systems. Materials Engineering occurs pre-project in developing specifications and training, during the project in Quality Assurance testing, and post-project in forensic analysis to determine why a failure occurred.

Construction Materials Testing - S.T.A.T.E. Testing, LLC

In 1999, we started this company with a plan to provide professional engineering and materials testing services to the highway construction industry and public construction agencies. Since that time, we have grown beyond my wildest dreams.

I credit our growth to our response to the economic and environmental needs of our clients, and to the priorities of the industry at large. Our industry is always changing, and we have changed with it. When we started, "green alleys" had grass growing through them, not water flowing through them. "Ground Tire Rubber" referred to skid marks on the road, not a component of the road. "FRAP" used to be a typo referring to RAP, not a new technology in asphalt design. Concrete mixture technology has evolved from cheap tap beer to a hand-crafted microbrew. All these things have become part of our industry, and we are proud to be a part of it. Again, a hearty "Thank You" to our clients for making our dreams come true.

Jay

Materials Engineering

Chicago did not become the nation's transportation hub by accident. Civil engineering innovations were required to develop the world's tallest buildings, the nation's largest railway hub, O'Hare Airport, the Deep Tunnel project, and countless other "firsts" and "biggest" projects.

We take advantage of our location in the midst of this transportation hub, learning from those who came before us. We try to add to the body of knowledge, and share that knowledge with our clients and the construction community. S.T.A.T.E. Testing has been blessed with some great clients who have allowed us to work on some fascinating and innovative projects.

Green Alleys

Finished Pervious Concrete Alley

Our company is proud to have provided engineering support for CDOT's Green Alley Program. Starting with a clean slate, we researched, tested, designed, and supervised the construction of the first pervious asphalt and concrete mixes in the Chicago area. Since the first alleys were placed in 2006, we have performed bi-annual tests to document their performance.

New Product Introduction

Field testing demonstrates the cold-weather
viablity of calcium aluminate cement concrete

Bringing new products into local use usually requires testing and demonstration projects. S.T.A.T.E. Testing welcomes the opportunity to work with suppliers to introduce and prove their products. Several, are now widely accepted in the Chicago market area, including:

Ground-Tire Rubber (GTR) Modified Asphalt Cement – Seneca Petroleum, supplier
Calcium Aluminate (fast-setting) Cement, Kerneos, Inc. (formerly Lafarge North America), supplier
Diabase Trap Rock Aggregate – Rocky Mountain Enterprises, supplier

Research

2008 IL Tollway Warm Mix Trial- Diabase SMA;
GTR asphalt cement; 15% FRAP

We have performed the field engineering for several research projects for the Illinois Tollway. The most prominent research involved "green" HMA mixes under consideration for the Tollway's massive expansion program. In collaboration with several partners - ISTHA, ARA, the University of Illinois, and several local contractors. These studies involved the design and production of mixes that included combinations of diabase trap rock, GTR modified asphalt cement, variable percentages of fractionated RAP (FRAP), and warm mix asphalt. S.T.A.T.E. Testing monitored the production and provided volumetric and field test results. ARA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign subsequently evaluated the performance properties of the mixes.

Specification Development

Flowable fill became more economical
when the specs were written around local
materials and customary construction practices

Our specifications are prepared to ensure that they are current and optimize the use of local materials. Reviewing and recommending specifications for many of our clients has successfully adapted national specifications for local use. Some of these include:

Flowable Fill concrete
High Performance Concrete
Pervious Concrete
Foamed Asphalt Recycling

Investigations

Cutting Slab for Investigation

Sometimes visible distresses are easy to describe, but difficult to attribute to a cause. We approach forensic investigations with open minds and independent attitudes. S.T.A.T.E. Testing has provided field and lab investigative services for public agencies, contractors, and developers.

Instruction and Training

Jay Behnke explains Superpave
for the Chicago APWA Chapter

We believe that sharing our experience benefits the construction industry, along with helping us to keep our knowledge current and relevant. We continually develop customized presentations for our clients and for trade seminars. Since 2003-2004, we have taught mix design classes for the IDOT/Lake Land College QC/QA Trained Technician program.

Formal classes that we have presented include:

Materials Management for Resident Engineers
PCC Level III Mix Design
HMA Level III Mix Design
Superpave for Local Agencies
ACI Level I Practical Examination

Engineers and technicians learn about
Concrete Mix Design in Schaumburg

Customized classes for many seminars and clients, including:

Chicago DOT
Cook County Highway Department
DuPage County Div. of Transportation
DuPage Environmental Summit
METRA
Chicago Chapter APWA
OMP – O'Hare Modernization Program
T.H.E. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bituminous Paving Conference – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Innovations Conference on Asphalt & Transportation – Bradley University
IACE – IL Association of County Engineers
Illinois Section ASCE
CTE Engineers