Iranian Technologists to Develop Accelerated Pavement Test (APT) Machine

According to a report by the public relations department of the Road, Housing & Urban Development Research Center, or Center for short in this report, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the building of the (APT machine and the development of scientific and training cooperation has been signed between the Center and “Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company.”

According to definitions provided by studies available online, APT refers to the controlled application of a prototype wheel loading, at or above the appropriate legal load limit to a prototype or actual, layered, structural pavement system to determine pavement response and performance under a controlled, accelerated accumulation of damage in a compressed time period.

Testing cars, geotechnical engineering for infrastructures, road safety evaluation, bridge inspection, drainage system evaluation, environmental testing, and transportation and road inspection are some of the applications of the APT devices.

“According to the terms of the MoU, the two sides will not only cooperate on documenting and administrating the knowledge of building the APT, they will cooperate on necessary training for using and operating the device,” the caretaker of the Center, Mohammad Mehdi Heidari said.

Moreover, Kheirullah Khademi, the managing director of the Company, for his part, emphasized documenting and administrating knowledge in the fields of road construction and road management in the country, and pointed out, "The use of traditional methods inflict huge costs to the country’s economic system and construction projects. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the knowledge of project managers and supervisors, update machinery and equipment and provide necessary training to executive agents and how to use these devices, along with updating rules and regulations and creating a legal framework for the use of new technologies by project managers.”

He expressed hope that the Center as part of its mission can take an important and effective step in the field of upgrading and developing new knowledge and technologies in the field of road construction and paving of the country's roads.

According to the report, the Center will conduct research on building the device and will be financed by the company during the implementation of the project.

Also, the formation of the required working groups by Center for the research and development of the machine, the transfer of technical knowledge and the giving necessary training after the construction of the device are contained in the MoU.

Furthermore, the report said that holding various specialized courses and training workshops and verification of pavement design parameters of different roads in the country will be done by the Center to introduce and revise guidelines and regulations.

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