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Aggregates, Asphalt & Paving Materials Industry Acronyms

Aggregates, Asphalt & Paving Materials Industry Acronyms

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This glossary explains specialized abbreviations used across the Building Products & Construction Materials sector, focusing on the Aggregates, Asphalt & Paving Materials Practice. It helps executives and practitioners interpret terminology spanning quarry operations, asphalt production, pavement design, quality control, environmental compliance, safety, materials testing, and commercial performance.

A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W

A
AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials:
Develops widely adopted specifications, test methods, and design guidance for aggregates, asphalt binders, mixtures, pavement structures, and transportation construction.
AAV Aggregate Abrasion Value:
Measures an aggregate’s resistance to surface wear, helping determine its suitability for pavement layers exposed to traffic polishing and abrasion.
ABC Aggregate Base Course:
A compacted layer of graded aggregate that distributes pavement loads and provides structural support, drainage, and a stable construction platform.
AC Asphalt Cement:
The petroleum-derived binder that coats and binds aggregate particles in asphalt mixtures; it is now commonly called asphalt binder.
AC Asphalt Concrete:
A compacted paving material composed principally of asphalt binder and graded mineral aggregate.
ACV Aggregate Crushing Value:
Indicates an aggregate’s resistance to crushing under compressive loading and helps assess suitability for heavily loaded pavement applications.
ADT Articulated Dump Truck:
An off-road hauling vehicle used to move blasted rock, overburden, and processed aggregate across quarry terrain.
AEMA Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association:
An industry association that provides technical guidance, training, and specifications support for emulsified asphalt products and applications.
AI Asphalt Institute:
A trade association and technical organization supporting asphalt binder specifications, laboratory practices, pavement design, construction, and training.
AIV Aggregate Impact Value:
Measures aggregate resistance to sudden impact and provides an indication of toughness for pavement and road-base uses.
AMPT Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester:
Laboratory equipment used to characterize dynamic modulus, flow number, and other mechanical properties needed for performance-related mixture evaluation.
ANFO Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil:
A bulk blasting agent commonly used to fragment rock in dry quarry boreholes before crushing and screening.
AP-42 Compilation of Air Emissions Factors:
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reference used to estimate emissions from crushers, screens, conveyors, storage piles, asphalt plants, and other stationary sources.
APA Asphalt Pavement Analyzer:
A loaded-wheel laboratory device used to evaluate asphalt mixtures for rutting, moisture susceptibility, and related performance characteristics.
AR Asphalt Rubber:
A blend of paving-grade asphalt binder, recycled tire rubber, and specified additives used in binders, surface treatments, and gap-graded mixtures.
ARRA Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association:
An industry association focused on pavement recycling, reclamation, rehabilitation, and preservation technologies.
ARTBA American Road & Transportation Builders Association:
Represents transportation construction companies and suppliers on infrastructure policy, market development, safety, and regulatory issues.
ASP Average Selling Price:
A commercial performance metric that tracks realized revenue per ton of aggregate, asphalt mixture, or other paving material sold.
ASTM ASTM International:
Develops consensus standards covering aggregate properties, asphalt binders, paving mixtures, pavement testing, sampling, and laboratory equipment.
ATB Asphalt-Treated Base:
A bound pavement base made by mixing aggregate with asphalt binder to improve strength, durability, and load distribution.
ATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives:
The U.S. federal agency responsible for licensing and regulating the storage, handling, and use of commercial explosives in quarry blasting.
ATPB Asphalt-Treated Permeable Base:
An open-graded, asphalt-bound drainage layer designed to move water away from the pavement structure while maintaining stability.
AV Air Voids:
The small air spaces within a compacted asphalt mixture, expressed as a percentage of total volume and controlled to balance durability, permeability, and rutting resistance.
B
BACT Best Available Control Technology:
An emissions-control standard established during certain air-permitting reviews for new or modified industrial sources, including some aggregate and asphalt facilities.
BBR Bending Beam Rheometer:
A laboratory instrument that measures low-temperature stiffness and relaxation properties of asphalt binder for performance grading.
BLM Bureau of Land Management:
The U.S. federal agency that manages mineral material sales, rights-of-way, and environmental approvals affecting aggregate extraction on public lands.
BMD Balanced Mix Design:
An asphalt mixture design approach that uses performance tests to balance resistance to rutting, cracking, and other forms of distress.
BMP Best Management Practice:
An operational or engineered measure used to control stormwater, sediment, dust, spills, and other environmental impacts at plants, quarries, and paving sites.
BPN British Pendulum Number:
A skid-resistance value obtained with a pendulum tester and used to assess pavement or aggregate surface friction.
BSG Bulk Specific Gravity:
The ratio used to characterize aggregate or compacted mixture density relative to water, supporting volumetric calculations and material acceptance.
BST Bituminous Surface Treatment:
A pavement treatment formed by applying asphalt material and aggregate in one or more layers, commonly including chip seals and related applications.
BWI Bond Work Index:
A measure of rock resistance to comminution that can inform crusher, mill, energy, and plant-capacity evaluations.
C
CAA Clean Air Act:
The principal U.S. federal statute governing air emissions, permitting, operating standards, and compliance obligations for industrial facilities.
CAA Coarse Aggregate Angularity:
A measure of fractured faces on coarse aggregate particles used to assess internal friction and suitability for asphalt mixtures and pavement bases.
CBR California Bearing Ratio:
A penetration test used to evaluate the load-bearing strength of subgrade, subbase, and aggregate base materials for pavement design.
CCPR Cold Central Plant Recycling:
A process in which reclaimed pavement is processed and mixed with recycling agents at a central plant without high-temperature production.
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act:
The U.S. law governing cleanup liability and reporting for releases of hazardous substances at contaminated properties.
CFR Code of Federal Regulations:
The codified body of U.S. federal rules containing environmental, mine-safety, worker-safety, transportation, and explosives requirements.
CIR Cold In-Place Recycling:
A rehabilitation process that mills, processes, and reuses an existing asphalt pavement layer on site at or near ambient temperature.
CMA Cold-Mix Asphalt:
An asphalt mixture produced without heating aggregate to conventional hot-mix temperatures, often using emulsified or cutback asphalt.
CMS Cationic Medium-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A positively charged emulsion grade formulated with a moderate breaking rate for mixing with selected aggregates and patching applications.
CPF Composite Pay Factor:
A combined quality-based payment adjustment calculated from multiple acceptance characteristics such as density, binder content, and gradation.
CQS Cationic Quick-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A rapidly breaking cationic emulsion used in slurry seals, microsurfacing, and other applications requiring fast cohesion development.
CRM Crumb Rubber Modifier:
Processed recycled tire rubber added to asphalt binder or mixtures to alter elasticity, viscosity, durability, and pavement performance.
CRS Cationic Rapid-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A positively charged, fast-breaking emulsion commonly used for chip seals and other spray applications with cover aggregate.
CSS Cationic Slow-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A stable cationic emulsion designed for mixing, dilution, tack coats, fog seals, and applications requiring extended workability.
CSS Closed-Side Setting:
The minimum distance between crushing surfaces during a crusher cycle, used to control product size, capacity, and recirculating load.
CTindex Cracking Tolerance Index:
A parameter calculated from an indirect tensile cracking test to compare an asphalt mixture’s resistance to crack initiation and propagation.
CWA Clean Water Act:
The principal U.S. federal statute governing pollutant discharges, stormwater permits, wetlands, and surface-water protection.
D
DCT Disk-Shaped Compact Tension Test:
A laboratory fracture test used to measure the low-temperature cracking resistance and fracture energy of asphalt mixtures.
DGA Dense-Graded Aggregate:
Aggregate containing a continuous distribution of particle sizes selected to compact into a stable layer with relatively low void content.
DGAC Dense-Graded Asphalt Concrete:
A conventional asphalt mixture with continuously graded aggregate intended to provide a dense, durable pavement layer.
DOT Department of Transportation:
A federal, state, or local transportation authority that specifies materials, procures paving work, administers testing, and accepts completed construction.
DPM Diesel Particulate Matter:
Fine particulate emissions from diesel engines that require exposure control for workers operating around mobile equipment and enclosed processing areas.
DSR Dynamic Shear Rheometer:
An instrument used to measure asphalt binder stiffness and elasticity at intermediate and high service temperatures.
DTH Down-the-Hole:
A drilling method in which the hammer operates directly behind the bit, commonly used to create quarry blast holes efficiently in hard rock.
E
EAC Effective Asphalt Content:
The portion of binder not absorbed into aggregate pores and therefore available to coat particles and contribute to mixture performance.
EI Elongation Index:
The percentage of aggregate particles whose length exceeds a specified ratio to their nominal size, indicating particle shape and potential handling or compaction issues.
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment:
A structured evaluation of potential environmental effects used in planning and permitting quarries, plants, haul routes, and major infrastructure work.
EIS Environmental Impact Statement:
A formal document evaluating significant environmental effects and alternatives for projects subject to U.S. federal environmental review.
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
The federal authority responsible for national air, water, waste, chemical-reporting, and environmental compliance programs affecting production facilities.
EPCRA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act:
A U.S. law requiring qualifying facilities to report certain hazardous chemicals, inventories, and releases to public agencies.
EPD Environmental Product Declaration:
A standardized, independently verified disclosure of a product’s life-cycle environmental impacts, increasingly used in infrastructure procurement and material selection.
ESA Endangered Species Act:
The U.S. law protecting listed species and critical habitat, potentially affecting quarry development, expansion, permitting, and mitigation.
ESAL Equivalent Single-Axle Load:
A standardized measure that converts mixed traffic loading into equivalent repetitions of a reference axle for pavement design and analysis.
EVA Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate:
A copolymer used to modify asphalt binder and improve selected handling, stiffness, durability, or temperature-performance characteristics.
F
FAA Federal Aviation Administration:
The U.S. authority that establishes specifications, advisory guidance, and acceptance requirements for aggregates and asphalt used in airport pavements.
FAA Fine Aggregate Angularity:
A measure based on uncompacted void content that indicates fine aggregate particle shape, texture, and contribution to mixture stability.
FDR Full-Depth Reclamation:
A rehabilitation process that pulverizes existing pavement and part of the underlying base to create a new, stabilized or unstabilized base layer.
FEL Federal Explosives License:
A U.S. authorization required for businesses that manufacture, deal in, or use explosives, including qualifying quarry operations.
FHWA Federal Highway Administration:
The U.S. agency that supports highway policy, research, specifications, pavement technology, funding oversight, and technical guidance.
FI Flakiness Index:
The percentage of aggregate particles thinner than a specified proportion of their nominal size, used to control undesirable particle shape.
FM Fineness Modulus:
An index calculated from sieve analysis that summarizes aggregate coarseness and supports grading consistency and blend control.
FN Flow Number:
The number of repeated load cycles at which an asphalt mixture enters tertiary deformation, indicating susceptibility to permanent rutting.
FOB Free on Board:
A commercial delivery term commonly used to quote material at the quarry or plant before outbound freight and delivery charges.
FWD Falling Weight Deflectometer:
A nondestructive pavement-testing device that applies an impulse load and measures surface deflections to evaluate structural capacity.
G
GHG Greenhouse Gas:
A heat-trapping atmospheric gas whose emissions are tracked in fuel use, electricity consumption, material production, transport, and product life-cycle assessments.
Gmb Bulk Specific Gravity of Compacted Asphalt Mixture:
A measured density relationship used with theoretical maximum specific gravity to calculate air voids and assess field or laboratory compaction.
Gmm Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity of Asphalt Mixture:
The specific gravity of a mixture at zero air voids, used in volumetric design, density control, and compaction calculations.
GPR Ground-Penetrating Radar:
A nondestructive technology used to estimate pavement layer thickness, identify subsurface anomalies, and support condition assessments.
Gsa Apparent Specific Gravity of Aggregate:
The ratio based on the volume of solid material excluding permeable pores, used in aggregate characterization and volumetric relationships.
Gsb Bulk Specific Gravity of Aggregate:
The ratio based on aggregate volume including permeable pores, making it a key input in asphalt mixture volumetric calculations.
Gse Effective Specific Gravity of Aggregate:
An intermediate value representing aggregate volume excluding pores that absorb asphalt, used to calculate absorbed and effective binder content.
GTR Ground Tire Rubber:
Recycled tire material processed to a controlled particle size for use in asphalt rubber, modified binders, and selected paving mixtures.
GWP Global Warming Potential:
A life-cycle impact indicator that expresses greenhouse-gas effects relative to carbon dioxide over a defined time horizon.
H
HAP Hazardous Air Pollutant:
An air contaminant regulated under the U.S. Clean Air Act because of potential health or environmental effects.
HazCom Hazard Communication:
The workplace program for chemical classification, labeling, safety data sheets, and employee training on hazardous materials.
HFMS High-Float Medium-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
An anionic emulsion grade formulated for mixing and surface-treatment applications requiring a gel-like residue and moderate setting rate.
HFRS High-Float Rapid-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A fast-setting, high-float emulsion used primarily in chip seals and related surface treatments.
HFSS High-Float Slow-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A slow-setting emulsion with a high-float residue intended for applications requiring mixing stability and reduced flow at elevated temperatures.
HIR Hot In-Place Recycling:
A pavement rehabilitation process that heats, loosens, remixes, and recompacts the existing asphalt surface on site.
HMA Hot-Mix Asphalt:
Asphalt mixture produced and placed at elevated temperatures to achieve binder coating, workability, and compaction.
HSI Horizontal Shaft Impactor:
A high-speed impact crusher used to reduce stone and shape aggregate particles in quarry processing circuits.
HWTT Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Test:
A submerged loaded-wheel test used to evaluate asphalt mixture rutting and moisture-damage susceptibility.
I
IA Independent Assurance:
An oversight program that evaluates the qualifications of sampling and testing personnel and the reliability of testing equipment.
IAT Independent Assurance Testing:
Verification activities used by transportation agencies to assess whether construction-material testing personnel and equipment produce reliable results.
IC Intelligent Compaction:
A roller-based system combining measurement, positioning, and documentation technologies to monitor and improve pavement or base compaction uniformity.
IDEAL-CT Indirect Tensile Asphalt Cracking Test:
A practical laboratory test that uses a cylindrical specimen to calculate cracking tolerance at an intermediate temperature.
IDT Indirect Tensile Test:
A diametral loading test used to evaluate tensile strength, cracking behavior, and moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures.
IME Institute of Makers of Explosives:
An industry safety organization that develops guidance on commercial explosives manufacturing, transport, storage, handling, and use.
IRI International Roughness Index:
A standardized measure of pavement ride quality calculated from the longitudinal surface profile and widely used for acceptance and asset management.
ISSA International Slurry Surfacing Association:
An industry association providing guidance and training for slurry seals, microsurfacing, chip seals, and related pavement-preservation treatments.
J
JMF Job Mix Formula:
The approved target proportions, gradation, binder content, and volumetric properties governing production of a specific asphalt mixture.
JSA Job Safety Analysis:
A task-level process that identifies work steps, hazards, and controls before maintenance, quarrying, plant, or paving activities begin.
L
LAAV Los Angeles Abrasion Value:
A measure of aggregate degradation under impact and abrasion in a rotating steel drum, used to assess toughness and durability.
LAS Linear Amplitude Sweep:
A rheometer-based test used to characterize fatigue resistance and damage behavior in asphalt binder.
LCA Life-Cycle Assessment:
A method for quantifying environmental impacts across raw-material extraction, production, transport, construction, use, and end-of-life stages.
LCCA Life-Cycle Cost Analysis:
An economic comparison of pavement alternatives that considers initial construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, user impacts, and residual value over time.
LL Liquid Limit:
The water content at which fine material transitions from a plastic to a liquid state, supporting classification and acceptance of base materials and aggregate fines.
LOI Loss on Ignition:
The mass change after controlled heating, used to evaluate certain aggregate constituents and establish correction factors for asphalt ignition-oven testing.
LOM Life of Mine:
The projected operating period supported by economically recoverable quarry reserves, planned extraction rates, permits, and production capacity.
LOTO Lockout/Tagout:
A hazardous-energy control procedure used before servicing crushers, screens, conveyors, asphalt plants, and mobile equipment.
LTPP Long-Term Pavement Performance:
A major pavement research program and database used to study how materials, traffic, climate, design, and maintenance affect field performance.
LWD Light Weight Deflectometer:
A portable device that applies an impulse load to estimate the stiffness and compaction quality of aggregate bases and other unbound layers.
M
MACT Maximum Achievable Control Technology:
A U.S. emissions-control standard for major sources of hazardous air pollutants within regulated industrial categories.
MBV Methylene Blue Value:
An indicator of harmful clay minerals and adsorptive fines in aggregate, used to assess potential effects on binder demand and mixture performance.
MC Medium-Curing Cutback Asphalt:
Asphalt binder diluted with a medium-volatility petroleum solvent to provide workability for mixing, patching, and selected surface applications.
MD Micro-Deval Abrasion Test:
A wet abrasion test used to assess aggregate resistance to wear and degradation in the presence of water.
MDD Maximum Dry Density:
The highest dry unit weight achieved under a specified compactive effort, used to establish field compaction targets for unbound materials.
MIC Maximum Instantaneous Charge:
The greatest explosive charge detonated within a specified delay interval, used in blast design and vibration control.
MNM Metal and Nonmetal:
The U.S. mine-safety classification covering aggregate, stone, sand, gravel, and other non-coal mining operations.
MS Medium-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
An emulsion grade with sufficient mixing stability for combining with aggregate in stockpile mixes, patching materials, and related applications.
MSCR Multiple Stress Creep Recovery:
A binder test that measures nonrecoverable deformation and elastic recovery under repeated loading at multiple stress levels.
MSHA Mine Safety and Health Administration:
The U.S. agency that regulates worker health and safety at mines, quarries, pits, and associated mineral-processing facilities.
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures:
A reliability metric used to track the average operating time between equipment failures and improve maintenance planning for critical plant assets.
MTPA Million Tonnes per Annum:
A production-capacity measure used for quarries, aggregate processing plants, and large-scale material supply planning.
MTTR Mean Time to Repair:
A maintainability metric tracking the average time required to restore failed equipment to service.
N
NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards:
U.S. concentration limits for common air pollutants that influence permitting, emissions controls, and facility siting in attainment and nonattainment areas.
NAPA National Asphalt Pavement Association:
A U.S. trade association representing asphalt producers and contractors through technical programs, research, advocacy, safety resources, and market data.
NCAT National Center for Asphalt Technology:
A research and education center known for asphalt materials testing, pavement research, field studies, and its full-scale test track.
NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program:
A transportation research program that produces widely used guidance on pavement materials, design, construction, preservation, and asset management.
NCPP National Center for Pavement Preservation:
A technical center supporting preservation research, training, treatment selection, specifications, and implementation by transportation agencies.
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act:
The U.S. law requiring federal agencies to evaluate environmental effects and alternatives for qualifying projects and approvals.
NESHAP National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants:
Federal standards controlling hazardous air pollutant emissions from designated source categories.
NHI National Highway Institute:
The Federal Highway Administration’s training organization for pavement design, materials, construction, maintenance, safety, and transportation program delivery.
NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:
A U.S. research agency that develops recommendations on workplace hazards such as silica, diesel exhaust, noise, heat, and asphalt fumes.
NMAS Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size:
A key gradation descriptor used to classify aggregate structure, select mixture thickness, and establish asphalt mixture design requirements.
NOI Notice of Intent:
A filing commonly used to obtain coverage under a general environmental permit, particularly for industrial or construction stormwater discharges.
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System:
The U.S. permitting program regulating point-source and stormwater discharges to waters of the United States.
NSPS New Source Performance Standards:
Federal air-emission standards for designated new, reconstructed, or modified sources, including certain nonmetallic mineral-processing equipment.
NSR New Source Review:
A U.S. preconstruction air-permitting program applying to qualifying new facilities and significant modifications of existing sources.
NSSGA National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association:
The U.S. trade association representing aggregates producers and related suppliers on safety, operations, technical, regulatory, and market issues.
O
OAC Optimum Asphalt Content:
The selected binder percentage that best satisfies specified volumetric, durability, stability, and performance requirements for an asphalt mixture.
OGDL Open-Graded Drainage Layer:
A highly permeable aggregate layer designed to remove infiltrated water from the pavement structure.
OGFC Open-Graded Friction Course:
A porous asphalt surface mixture that improves drainage, spray reduction, skid resistance, and tire-pavement noise performance.
OMC Optimum Moisture Content:
The water content at which a material reaches maximum dry density under a specified compaction effort.
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration:
The U.S. agency responsible for workplace safety and health standards at asphalt plants, paving operations, laboratories, and other non-mine workplaces.
OSS Open-Side Setting:
The maximum distance between crushing surfaces during a crusher cycle, used with the closed-side setting to characterize crusher geometry and discharge.
OT Overlay Test:
A repeated-opening laboratory test used to evaluate an asphalt mixture’s resistance to reflective and fatigue cracking.
P
PA Porous Asphalt:
An open-graded asphalt material designed to allow water to pass through interconnected voids for surface drainage or stormwater management.
PAV Pressure Aging Vessel:
Laboratory equipment that accelerates long-term oxidative aging of asphalt binder for performance-grade testing and durability evaluation.
PCI Pavement Condition Index:
A numerical rating derived from observed pavement distresses and used to prioritize maintenance, rehabilitation, and capital investment.
PCR Product Category Rules:
Requirements defining scope, data, assumptions, and impact reporting for comparable environmental declarations within a product category.
PEL Permissible Exposure Limit:
A legally enforceable occupational exposure threshold for substances such as respirable crystalline silica and other workplace contaminants.
PFC Porous Friction Course:
An open-graded asphalt wearing course intended to drain surface water and improve wet-weather friction and visibility.
PG Performance Grade:
A system classifying asphalt binder according to expected high- and low-temperature pavement conditions and specified rheological properties.
PI Penetration Index:
An indicator derived from binder penetration and softening-point data that describes asphalt binder temperature susceptibility.
PI Plasticity Index:
The numerical difference between liquid and plastic limits, used to assess clay content and moisture sensitivity in fines, subgrade, and base materials.
PM10 Particulate Matter 10 Micrometers and Smaller:
An inhalable airborne-particle fraction regulated in ambient air and generated by activities such as crushing, screening, conveying, stockpiling, and combustion.
PM2.5 Particulate Matter 2.5 Micrometers and Smaller:
A fine-particle air pollutant associated mainly with combustion and certain industrial processes, subject to stringent ambient-air controls.
PMA Polymer-Modified Asphalt:
Asphalt binder or mixture enhanced with a polymer to improve elasticity, rutting resistance, cracking performance, or durability.
PMS Pavement Management System:
A structured system for collecting condition data, forecasting deterioration, evaluating treatments, and prioritizing network-level pavement investments.
PPA Polyphosphoric Acid:
A chemical modifier used in some asphalt binders to alter stiffness, performance grade, compatibility, and storage characteristics.
PPE Personal Protective Equipment:
Protective clothing and devices such as hard hats, hearing protection, respirators, high-visibility garments, gloves, and safety footwear.
PPRA Pavement Preservation & Recycling Alliance:
An industry alliance providing technical resources for asphalt emulsions, preservation treatments, recycling, and reclamation.
PPV Peak Particle Velocity:
A primary measure of ground vibration from blasting, used to evaluate potential effects on structures and demonstrate permit compliance.
PSD Prevention of Significant Deterioration:
A U.S. air-permitting program for major new sources and modifications in areas meeting national ambient-air standards.
PSI Present Serviceability Index:
A numerical measure of pavement serviceability based principally on ride quality and physical distress.
PSV Polished Stone Value:
A measure of an aggregate’s resistance to polishing under traffic, used to select materials for skid-resistant pavement surfaces.
PWL Percent Within Limits:
A statistical estimate of the proportion of a production lot falling within specification limits, often used to calculate acceptance and payment.
Q
QA Quality Assurance:
The overall system of planned activities used to provide confidence that materials, production, testing, and construction satisfy specified requirements.
QC Quality Control:
Producer or contractor activities used to monitor and adjust aggregate processing, asphalt production, placement, compaction, and testing.
QCP Quality Control Plan:
A project- or facility-specific document defining personnel, sampling, testing, process controls, documentation, and corrective actions.
QS Quick-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
An emulsion designed to break and develop cohesion rapidly in slurry surfacing and similar pavement-preservation applications.
R
RAP Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement:
Removed or processed asphalt pavement reused as aggregate and a source of aged binder in new mixtures, recycling processes, and base applications.
RAS Recycled Asphalt Shingles:
Processed roofing-shingle material used in permitted asphalt mixtures as a source of fibers, mineral granules, and aged asphalt binder.
RBR Recycled Binder Ratio:
The proportion of total asphalt binder supplied by reclaimed pavement and recycled shingles, used to manage recycled-content effects on mixture performance.
RC Rapid-Curing Cutback Asphalt:
Asphalt binder diluted with a highly volatile petroleum solvent to achieve fast curing in selected spray and maintenance applications.
RCA Recycled Concrete Aggregate:
Crushed material recovered from demolished concrete and processed for use in pavement bases, drainage layers, and other aggregate applications.
RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:
The U.S. law governing solid and hazardous waste generation, storage, transport, treatment, recycling, and disposal.
RCS Respirable Crystalline Silica:
The fine fraction of airborne crystalline silica capable of reaching deep into the lungs and requiring stringent exposure controls during mineral processing and construction.
REL Recommended Exposure Limit:
A nonregulatory occupational exposure recommendation issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for hazardous substances or conditions.
REOB Re-Refined Engine Oil Bottoms:
A residual material from used-oil re-refining that may be blended into asphalt binder and therefore requires careful compatibility and performance evaluation.
RHMA Rubberized Hot-Mix Asphalt:
A hot-produced asphalt mixture incorporating asphalt rubber or another specified tire-rubber modification system.
ROM Run of Mine:
Unprocessed rock as delivered from the quarry face or blast area to the primary crushing circuit.
RQI Ride Quality Index:
A numerical indicator derived from pavement profile or roughness data and used to assess ride performance.
RS Rapid-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A fast-breaking emulsion grade designed primarily for spray applications such as chip seals.
RSL Remaining Service Life:
The estimated period before a pavement reaches a defined condition threshold or requires major rehabilitation.
RTFO Rolling Thin-Film Oven:
Laboratory equipment that simulates short-term asphalt binder aging during mixing and construction while producing residue for further testing.
S
SAM Stress-Absorbing Membrane:
A flexible asphalt-and-aggregate treatment placed to reduce stress concentrations and delay reflective cracking.
SAMI Stress-Absorbing Membrane Interlayer:
A flexible layer installed beneath an asphalt overlay to reduce crack propagation from the underlying pavement.
SARA Saturates, Aromatics, Resins, and Asphaltenes:
Four chemical fractions used to characterize asphalt binder composition, compatibility, aging behavior, and modification response.
SARA Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act:
A U.S. law that strengthened hazardous-substance cleanup requirements and established major emergency-planning and community chemical-reporting obligations.
SBR Styrene-Butadiene Rubber:
An elastomer used to modify asphalt binders and emulsions for improved flexibility, adhesion, and durability.
SBS Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene:
A block copolymer widely used to increase asphalt binder elasticity, rutting resistance, and cracking performance.
SC Slow-Curing Cutback Asphalt:
Asphalt binder blended with a low-volatility petroleum diluent for applications requiring extended curing and workability.
SCB Semi-Circular Bend Test:
A laboratory fracture test using a notched half-disk specimen to evaluate asphalt mixture cracking resistance.
SDS Safety Data Sheet:
A standardized document describing a chemical product’s hazards, composition, safe handling, exposure controls, storage, and emergency measures.
SE Sand Equivalent:
A test value indicating the relative proportion of desirable granular material to clay-like fines in aggregate.
SG Specific Gravity:
The ratio of a material’s density to the density of water, fundamental to aggregate characterization, mixture volumetrics, and inventory calculations.
SHRP Strategic Highway Research Program:
The research program that established the Superpave binder and mixture framework and advanced pavement materials and performance evaluation.
SIP State Implementation Plan:
A state’s federally approved strategy for attaining and maintaining national ambient-air quality standards.
SMA Stone Matrix Asphalt:
A gap-graded asphalt mixture with a stone-on-stone aggregate skeleton and rich mortar, designed for high rutting resistance and durability.
SN Structural Number:
An index representing the combined structural contribution of pavement layers in the AASHTO flexible pavement design method.
SPCC Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure:
A U.S. program requiring qualifying facilities to prevent and respond to oil discharges to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.
SS Slow-Setting Emulsified Asphalt:
A stable emulsion grade used where mixing, dilution, penetration, or extended workability is required.
SSD Saturated Surface-Dry:
An aggregate moisture condition in which permeable pores are filled with water but no free water remains on the particle surface.
STEL Short-Term Exposure Limit:
The maximum allowable or recommended average exposure to a hazardous substance over a specified short period, commonly 15 minutes.
SWPPP Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan:
A site-specific plan identifying drainage areas, pollutant sources, controls, inspections, maintenance, and corrective actions required under stormwater permits.
T
TFOT Thin-Film Oven Test:
A laboratory procedure that simulates short-term aging of asphalt binder by heating it in shallow containers under controlled conditions.
TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load:
The maximum pollutant load a water body can receive while meeting water-quality standards, potentially influencing discharge permits and stormwater controls.
TPH Tons per Hour:
A production-rate measure used to express crusher, screen, conveyor, dryer, and asphalt plant throughput.
TRB Transportation Research Board:
A division of the National Academies that convenes practitioners and publishes research on pavement materials, construction, performance, and transportation policy.
TRI Toxics Release Inventory:
A U.S. reporting program requiring qualifying facilities to disclose releases and waste management of specified toxic chemicals.
TSR Tensile Strength Ratio:
The ratio of conditioned to unconditioned indirect tensile strength, used to evaluate asphalt mixture moisture susceptibility.
TSS Total Suspended Solids:
A water-quality measure of particles suspended in water, commonly monitored in stormwater and process-water discharges.
TWA Time-Weighted Average:
An employee’s average exposure to a workplace contaminant over a defined period, usually an eight-hour shift.
U
UCS Unconfined Compressive Strength:
The maximum axial compressive stress a specimen withstands without lateral confinement, used for rock, reclaimed materials, and stabilized pavement layers.
USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
A federal agency that develops construction specifications, manages civil works, and administers certain wetlands and waterway permits affecting material operations.
USFS U.S. Forest Service:
The federal agency managing mineral-material extraction, access, and environmental conditions on National Forest System lands.
USGS U.S. Geological Survey:
Provides geological information, mineral commodity data, production statistics, and resource analysis used in aggregate-market and reserve planning.
UTBWC Ultra-Thin Bonded Wearing Course:
A thin asphalt surface placed over a polymer-modified bonding layer to restore friction, seal the pavement, and improve ride quality.
V
VCA Voids in Coarse Aggregate:
The space between coarse aggregate particles, used to confirm stone-on-stone contact in gap-graded mixtures such as stone matrix asphalt.
VCADRC Voids in Coarse Aggregate in the Dry-Rodded Condition:
A reference void content measured on compacted dry coarse aggregate and compared with mixture voids to verify stone-on-stone contact.
VFA Voids Filled with Asphalt:
The percentage of voids in mineral aggregate occupied by effective asphalt binder, used to control mixture durability and stability.
VMA Voids in Mineral Aggregate:
The intergranular void space within a compacted aggregate structure, including air voids and effective binder volume.
VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled:
A measure of total roadway travel used in traffic forecasting, pavement demand analysis, funding, and aggregate or asphalt market planning.
VOC Volatile Organic Compound:
An organic chemical that readily evaporates and may be regulated as an air pollutant from fuels, solvents, cutbacks, and production processes.
VSI Vertical Shaft Impactor:
An impact crusher commonly used for tertiary reduction, cubical particle shaping, and manufactured-sand production.
W
WA Water Absorption:
The percentage increase in aggregate mass after pore saturation, indicating porosity and informing binder absorption, durability, and moisture-control decisions.
WIM Weigh-in-Motion:
A roadway measurement system that records vehicle axle weights and gross weights at traffic speed for pavement design, enforcement, and freight analysis.
WMA Warm-Mix Asphalt:
Asphalt produced and placed at temperatures below conventional hot-mix ranges through additives, foaming, or process changes that improve workability.