Steven E. Lenker, P.E.Director, Construction Materials Reference Laboratories

AASHTO Materials Reference LaboratoryCement & Concrete Reference Laboratory

• Laboratory Assessment Program• Proficiency Sample Program• AASHTO Accreditation Program• NTPEP Manufacturer Audit Program

What is a Laboratory Assessment?

• Full and thorough check of all equipment required to perform tests

• Full demonstration of each procedure laboratory elects to present

• Direct comparison between laboratory and AASHTO and ASTM standard test methods and specifications

• Thorough check of laboratory quality system

AMRL Laboratory Assessment Program

• Completed 26th Assessment Tour in April, 2008 which included 1360 laboratory assessments

• The 27th Tour began in May, 2008 and will likely include assessments of more than 1500 laboratories.

On-Site Assessments

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Laboratory Assessment Program

Growth and Efficiency

• Hired 10 new assessors over the past year• Currently have 20 assessors on staff• Individual Assessor productivity is at record

levels (est. 95 units per assessor for 2008). This is over a 100% increase as compared to CY’ 2001.

Laboratory Assessment ProgramAssessor Productivity

AMRL Proficiency Sample Programs• 14 different types of proficiency

samples

• Pairs of samples are sent to all participants for testing

• Participants complete tests and send AMRL results

AMRL Control Chart

AMRL Proficiency Sample ProgramsPSP Aggregate Participation

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The AASHTO Accreditation ProgramThe standard by which others are measured.

AASHTO Accreditation ProgramAASHTO Accreditation Program

Number of Accredited Laboratories

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

1271 labs

Accreditation by Material

Hot Mix Asphalt18%

Aggregate25%

Soil24%

Metals1%

Portland Cement Concrete

21%

Masonry1%

Hydraulic Cement2%

Asphalt Cement5% Emulsified Asphalt

2%

Types of Accredited Laboratories State Branch

3%

Federal1%

Producers15%

Independent73%

Research1%

Other Government2%

State DOT's5%

Accredited Labs by State/ProvinceAlabama 17 Maine 4 Oklahoma 20

Alaska 13 Manitoba 1 Ontario 4

Alberta 2 Maryland 39 Oregon 7

Arizona 57 Massachusetts 10 Pennsylvania 44

Arkansas 7 Michigan 17 Puerto Rico 8

California 178 Minnesota 20 Quebec 6

Colorado 35 Mississippi 9 Rhode Island 2

Connecticut 5 Missouri 24 South Carolina 30

Delaware 4 Montana 17 South Dakota 4

District of Columbia 1 Nebraska 8 Tennessee 18

Florida 43 Nevada 53 Texas 69

Georgia 41 New Brunswick 2 Utah 43

Hawaii 12 New Hampshire 4 Vermont 1

Idaho 9 New Jersey 22 Virginia 47

Illinois 41 New Mexico 27 Washington 21

Indiana 21 New York 39 West Virginia 3

Iowa 9 North Carolina 34 Wisconsin 14

Kansas 11 North Dakota 7 Wyoming 9

Kentucky 17 Nova Scotia 1

Louisiana 17 Ohio 50

NTPEP Manufacturer Audit ProgramHDPE Thermoplastic Pipe and Steel Reinforcing Bar

• The program evaluates a manufacturer’s production process and ability to consistently produce quality products.•One evaluation used by many states eliminates duplication of effort. • Audits include:

– Review of quality documents, personnel Interviews– Product Traceability from Yard Inspection– Sample/Yard Inspection and Production Line Walkthrough– Quality Control Testing

• All Audit results (final reports) are accessible online (www.amrl.net).• 24 plastic pipe audits and 2 rebar audits by the end of this year.