VicRoads

VicRoads and CMPA Technical committee meeting

DR ELIZABETH GIBSON, General Manager CMPA reports on the CMPA Technical committee meeting with VicRoads.

A meeting was held between VicRoads (Graeme Newman and Sven Scheppokat) and the CMPA technical committee (Craig James, E. B. Mawson & Sons; Mark Wagner, Conundrum Holdings; and Elizabeth Gibson) on Wednesday 10 December 2014 at Northern Quarries, Epping. Bill Payne from Quarrycrete was an apology.

Issues raised

1. Proposed Specification Changes
    Section 801
   VicRoads is proceeding with changes to Section 801 (Source rock for production of crushed rock and aggregates) to include granite as a Class A sealing aggregate providing specifications are met. More to follow in the future issue of Sand & Stone.
   Section 812 and 815 
   Section 812 (Crushed rock for pavement base and sub base) and 815 (Cementitious treated crushed rock for pavement sub base) will be amalgamated into a Code of Practice and will be out for comment in 2015.
   Section 702
   Section 702 (Subsurface drainage) will be out for comment in 2015 and will allow use of recycled materials 3-5mm graded and without fines. Coarse sands are becoming scarcer so that the relevant material may have to be manufactured.
   Section 813
   Section 813 (Crushed rock for light duty base and sub base pavement) has now been finalised and is with VicRoads’ Specification Working Group for light duty pavements.
2. Quarry Accreditation Program & Surveillance
   There will be a workshop held with industry on the quarry accreditation program and surveillance given by G. Newman and S. Scheppokat. Training will be given to relevant VicRoads personnel in assessment of source rock, however, novel and complex rocks will only be assessed by – G. Newman and S. Scheppokat. Quarry accreditation will be only undertaken for those quarries that supply material to VicRoads.
3. NATA – signatory status
   The increased training prerequisite for NATA signatories introduced in 2013 will eventually lead to closure or loss of NATA accreditation of quarry laboratories because the NATA accreditation cost will become too prohibitive. This will occur as current NATA signatories accredited prior to 2013 leave or retire from the quarry industry and will become an issue for VicRoads.
4. Virtual Reference Specimen Trial (Ongoing)
   The Virtual Reference Specimen Trial has not progressed. A comment was made that the texture/feel of the material cannot be picked up from an image. Reference jars of rock are expected to remain in use.
5. Wet Plasticity Index (PI)
   VicRoads is not formally advocating the use of Wet PI. The issue arose over a concern that overdosing was occurring with Claypro type products with measurement using dry PI because of the clay product adhering to larger rock particles which are removed in the preparation process for measurement of dry PI. If a wet PI is conducted, acceptance by VicRoads will occur on a case by case basis. For future discussion is the use of a cohesion test for Class 1 material.
6. Potential options for increasing the utilisation of 5mm aggregate
   Potential options for use of 5mm aggregate were put forward to VicRoads.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login