Rowan University Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility (RUAPTF)

Rowan University Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility (RUAPTF) is housed in the South Jersey Technology Park (SJTP) at Rowan University. The state-of-the-art facility consists of a 5,000 square-foot, pre-engineered fabric structure building that contains four full-scale pavement testing strips (each is 30′ long by 12′ wide). The building serves two purposes: (1) conducting testing on sections protected from natural weather elements and (2) storing/housing equipment. Outside the fabric structure, the facility consists of 12 additional full-scale pavement sections that can be utilized to conduct advanced and field-representative pavement research. All full-scale sections at RUAPTF can facilitate constructing upwards of 3 feet deep pavements and some sections may be designed with water table control capability within the supporting base and subgrade layers. RUAPTF is equipped with a Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) that was obtained through a cooperative agreement between Rowan University and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Rowan’s HVS is capable of applying the equivalent of 20 years of traffic loading in as few as three to six months period. Rowan’s HVS is also capable of applying truck as well as aircraft loading on pavement, simulating typical wander patterns, and controlling the surface temperature of pavement sections. The facility is also equipped with a Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWFD).

Quick Facts About the Rowan University Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility (RUAPTF):

• RUAPTF was officially opened on the 14th of September, 2016.
• The facility offers state-of-the-art resources that allow for conducting field-environment representative research.
• State highway agencies (i.e., Departments of Transportation, DOTs) have the opportunity sponsor sections at RUAPTF
• The pavement industry in the northeast region of the United States are also offered the opportunity to sponsor sections at RUAPTF.