Photo: COWI

Materials engineering for pavements 

Materials engineering seeks to optimize available raw materials and production methods to meet project requirements. COWI's material engineering expertise ensures that the actual products are suited to project needs and the client expectations.

COWI has applied materials engineering on projects that include international financing agencies as well as public and private sector organisations in 50 countries all over the world.

Cost savings
The immediate effect is cost savings on the actual road and airport rehabilitation projects. Optimization of the materials will also provide long-term financial benefits from the extended life of the pavements.

Marginal materials
The amount of stabilizing agent may be minimized through optimization of the aggregate gradation curve. Such optimization can often be achieved by combining materials from several sources, which considered separately, would only be rated as marginal.

Key areas of expertise
The key areas of COWI's materials and pavement design are: 

  • Asphalt recycling expertise 
  • Dedicated bitumen binder quality specification
  • Alternative cementitious binders (pozzolans, waste products)
  • Aggregates mix optimization