7/31/2009
The Eighth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways, and Airfields (BCR2A) convened on the Illinois' campus from June 29 through July 2.
Written by
The Eighth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways, and Airfields (BCR2A) convened on the Illinois' campus from June 29 through July 2.
The conference attracted academics, researchers, and practitioners involved in transportation geotechnics, pavement and railroad engineering disciplines, and concerned with the many issues pertaining to the bearing capacity and mechanistic based design of highway and airfield pavements and railroad track structures.
More than 250 attendees traveled from 32 different countries to attend this conference, which provided a forum to promote efficient design, construction and maintenance of the transportation infrastructure. (See topic list below.)
Highlights of the conference included 38 technical sessions, a technical visit to ATREL that included a barbeque dinner, an elegant conference banquet, several exhibits, and a visit to downtown Chicago during the Taste of Chicago and the fireworks. Additionally, the CEE transportation faculty presented CEE Professor Emeritus Marshall Thompson with an award of appreciation for his contributions to the BC2RA conference's history.
Many attendees arrived a day early to participate in the four pre-conference workshops; topics included: Climatic Affects on Pavement Infrastructure, FAARFIELD/Designs for New and Rehabilitated Airport Pavements, Pavement Interlayer Systems, and Railroad Track Design including Asphalt Trackbeds.
CEE faculty who were involved in the conference included: Erol Tutumluer, conference chair; Imad Al-Qadi, conference co-chair and highway area coordinator; David Lange, airfield area coordinator; and Chris Barkan, railroad area coordinator. Bill Buttlar, Riley Edwards, Jeff Roesler, and Marshall Thompson served on the organizing committee.
BCR2A'09 Conference Topics
• Subgrade Soils
• Granular Materials
• Asphalt Mixtures
• In-situ Measurement Techniques & Developments
• Modeling & Methods of Functional Testing
• Backcalculation Analyses of Deflection Measurements
• New and/or Innovative Techniques in Compaction & Construction
• Structural Evaluation & Performance Prediction
• Structural Design Systems for New Construction & Rehabilitation
• Bearing Capacity Designs for Challenging Conditions & Load Effects
• Bearing Capacity Designs for Climatic Conditions
• Reinforcement of Structural Layers
• Utilization of Recycled Materials
• Railroad Track Structures
• Full-Scale Testing
More information about the conference is available at www.BCR2A.org. Conference proceedings are available from Taylor & Francis at taylorandfrancis.com ( ISBN: 9780415871990, ISBN-10: 0415871999, Publisher: CRC Press, Editors: Tutumluer and Al-Qadi).
__________________________
Contact: Leslie Sweet Myrick, editor, Illinois Center for Transportation, 217/893-0705, ext. 225.