For several years the South Carolina Department of Transportation has sponsored a safety campaign called "Highways or Dieways: The choice is yours." With a traffic death rate 60% above the national average, this campaign is aimed at improving driver safety and reducing injuries and deaths on the state's roads. Clemson University's civil engineering department is contributing to this effort by making sure that the road surface is as safe as it can be.

In a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Professor Prasad Rangaraju is attempting to identify better aggregate sources for use in construction of asphalt and Portland cement concrete pavements that will help improve the quality and safety of pavement.

The challenge in this sort of research is to devise test methods that correlate realistically with field performance. One procedure that has shown promise is the Micro-Deval abrasion test, which is sometimes called a "wet ball-mill test." Aggregate samples are placed in a stainless steel jar with small steel charge (balls) and water, and subjected to a defined rate of revolutions for a period of time. The abrasive conditions in the steel jar mimic the harsh conditions that the aggregates face in pavements. The properties of the aggregates are measured before and after the test, which reflects the potential of the aggregate for successful performance in field.

The research from this study will determine the suitability of this technique to evaluate different aggregate sources by correlating the lab results with field performance, thus enabling us to construct more durable and safe highways for the traveling public. After all - we want highways. . .not dieways.