publications: research briefs

Concrete Science Platform

Life Cycle Assessment Platform

LCA Research Brief - April 2012

Network, Pavements, and Fuel Consumption

Quantifying the impacts of pavement properties and management strategies on vehicle fuel consumption can provide guidance to pavement design and maintenance schedules while reducing the footprint of these systems. Although the impact of pavement roughness is higher than that of deflection, both are highly important within the environmental analyses of pavement systems, and greatly influence the aggregated vehicle fuel consumption. more >>

LCA Research Brief - March 2012

Modeling Uncertainty in LCCA

Interfacing this model with the recently developed MEPDG will allow decision makers to fully understand the probabilistic life-cycle cost of alternative designs for a given project. This will allow a decision maker to choose a pavement alternative based on the risk they are willing to accept. more >>

LCA Research Brief - February 2012

Homes: A Match for Concrete Innovation

This research aims at moving LCA in the design space of architects, engineers and developers, by quantifying the link between energy costs and architectural, materials and construction technology design parameters. This research makes it possible to match specific material solutions with structural tightness levels that need to be implemented in order to enhance the energy efficiency of homes in the United States. more >>

LCA Research Brief - January 2012

Roads: Smoothness Matters, But…

Interfacing modern pavement design tools such as MEPDG with Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) provides pavement engineers with an indispensable tool for a sustainable pavement design that is both structurally and environmentally sound. This research provides a means to moving LCA into the pavement design space. It can contribute to prepare our Nation’s road system for the economic, social and environmental challenges ahead. more >>

Life Cycle Cost Analysis Brief– July 2011

Accounting for Inflation in LCCA

This study examines historical data on real prices of construction materials, and finds that the assumption of constant real costs is seriously inconsistent with historical experience. Ignoring that experience can lead to serious cost overruns. To avoid such overruns, this study suggests the use of material-specific escalation rates that can be easily implemented into the LCCA practice to reflect changes in relative commodity prices. more >>

LCA Research Brief – June 2011

When the Rubber Hits the Road

This research suggests that a mechanistic approach can close the uncertainty gap of Pavement Vehicle Interaction (PVI) in LCA of pavements. Implemented in an LCA environment, the derived functional relations between fuel consumption, structural and material pavement design parameters, provide pavement engineers and decision makers with a design tool to optimize our Nation’s pavement inventory for high performance fuel and GHG efficiency. more >>

Special Research Brief – April 2011

Adopting a Life-Cycle Perspective

The economic and environmental impacts of infrastructure should be evaluated using a life-cycle perspective. The coupling of two methodologies — lifecycle assessment (LCA) for environmental impact and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) for economic impacts — provides decision makers with the tools to reach sustainability targets using cost-effective strategies. more >>

Special Research Brief: LCA - March 2011

Designing for Sustainable Pavements

The use of optimized design thicknesses helps reduce costs and CO2 emissions by minimizing the materials needed to construct a pavement. The economic and environmental benefits are significant and can help transportation agencies reduce their carbon footprint while working within tight budgetary constraints. more >>