Implementation of Startup Procedures in the Laboratory
SourceAs part of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Long-Term avement Performance Program (LTPP) Materials Characterization effort, a quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) procedure was developed to verify the proficiency of laboratory equipment and personnel in performing resilient modulus testing. This effort is documented in report FHWA RD-96-176, “Resilient Modulus of Unbound Materials (LTPP Protocol P46) Laboratory Startup and Quality Control Procedure” (Alavi, et al. 1997). Since issuance of that report, a great deal of experience has been gathered in using the procedure. This present paper provides an outline of the procedure, the rationale behind the procedure, and documents recent changes that have been developed by the authors. The paper also discusses issues to look for when implementing the startup procedure. Finally, a brief list of issues that have been found by using the procedure is presented.