Terms and Abbreviations You Should Know
BY AsphaltPro Staff
In the asphalt and aggregate industry, from the terminal to the quality assurance behind the screed, there are acronyms and abbreviations that tend to send us into a frenzy of tongue-tied and twisted confusion if we’re not fully caffeinated. I’ll cut to the chase. For this special World of Asphalt issue of AsphaltPro, here’s a list of frequently used acronyms (FUAs), terms, and asphalt industry abbreviations.
AAPT = Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists
AASHTO = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AC = Asphalt Cement
AEMA = Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association
AGC = Associated General Contractors (of America)
AI = Asphalt Institute
AMRL = AASHTO Materials Reference Library (a laboratory accreditation)
APWA = American Public Works Association
AR = Asphalt Rubber
ARMA = Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
ARRA = Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association
ARTBA = American Road and Transportation Builders Association
ASA = American Subcontractors Association
ASTM = American Society for Testing and Materials
bbl = Blue Barrel (crude oil)
BST = Bituminous Surface Treatment
CAA = Coarse Aggregate Angularity (a test method)
CCI = Critical Condition Index
CCPR = Cold Central Plant Recycling (used in conjunction with subbase drainage discussions)
CDRA = Construction Demolition Recycling Association
CIR = Cold In-Place Recycling
CMAQ = Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
CR = Crumb Rubber
DBE = Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
DOT = Department of Transportation
DSR = Dynamic Shear Rheometer
EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation (engines)
EH&S = Environmental Health & Safety
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
EPD = Environmental Product Declaration
ESALs = Equivalent Single Axle Loads
FAA = Fine Aggregate Angularity (an indirect test method)
FDR = Full-Depth Reclamation
FHWA = Federal Highway Administration
FRAP = Fractionated RAP (in relation to stockpiling/screening/QC)
Gmb = Bulk Specific Gravity
Gmm (TMD) = Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity
GHG = Greenhouse Gas
GHS = Global Harmonization Systems (international pictograms for safety)
GTR = Ground Tire Rubber
HIR = Hot In-Place Recycling
HMA = Hot Mix Asphalt
HSI = Horizontal Shaft Impactor (crusher)
HSIP = Highway Safety Improvement Program
I2P2 = Illness and Injury Prevention Programs
IARC = International Agency for Research on Cancer (cleared asphalt’s good name)
IC = Intelligent Compaction
ILTA = International Liquids & Terminals Association
IPF = Impacts per Foot (compaction/density)
IRI = International Ride (roughness) Index
ISAP = International Society of Asphalt Pavements
JHA = Job Hazard Analysis
JSA = Jobsite Safety Analysis
LCA = Life-Cycle Assessment (environmental burden of a pavement from cradle to grave)
LCCA = Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (total user and agency costs over pavement’s life-cycle)
LEED = Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design
LTPP = Long-Term Pavement Performance
MAP-21 = Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
MEPDG = Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
MOT = Movement of Traffic
MPH = Miles per Hour
MPOs = Metropolitan Planning Organizations
MRP = Micronized Rubber Powder (used in RMA)
MSHA = Mine Safety and Health Administration
MUTCD = Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
NAPA = National Asphalt Pavement Association
NCAT = National Center for Asphalt Technology
NCHRP = National Cooperative Highway Research Program
NHPP = National Highway Performance Program
NHS = National Highway System
NHTSA = National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NIOSH = National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NOx = Nitrogen Oxide
NPRM = National Proposed Rulemaking
NRDC = National Resources Defense Council
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
OGFC = Open Graded Friction Course
OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration
PCC = A Mistake to be Avoided
PEC = Pavement Economic Council
PEL = Personal Exposure Limit (safety and health regs)
PG = Performance Grade
PPP = Public Private Partnership (funding opp)
PSI = Pounds per Square Inch
PVI = Pavement Vehicle Interaction (pavement engineering)
PWL = Percent Within Limits (QC/specs)
QA = Quality Assurance
QC = Quality Control
RAP = Reclaimed (recycled) Asphalt Pavement
RAS = Recycled Asphalt Shingle
RMA = Rubber Modified Asphalt (see also MRP)
RPA = Rubber Pavements Association
RPM = Revolutions per Minute (rotor bars/aggregators, etc) or Reflective Pavement Marker
SAPA = State Asphalt Pavement Associations
SCR = Selective Catalytic Reduction (engines)
SDS = Safety Data Sheet (formerly MSDS)
SEO = Search Engine Optimization (marketing/promotion of your business)
SHRP = Strategic Highway Research Program
SMA = Stone Mastic Asphalt (or Stone Matrix Asphalt)
SP TWG = Sustainable Pavement Technical Working Group
SSD = Saturated Surface-Dry (a condition of aggregate)
Superpave = Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement System
TCC = Transportation Construction Coalition
TPH = Tons per Hour
UHI = Urban Heat Island (remember: albedo/reflectivity does not mitigate UHI effect)
Va (VTM) = Air Voids (voids in total mix)
VFA = Voids Filled with Aggregate
VMA = Voids in Mineral Aggregate
VMT = Vehicle Miles Traveled
VPD = Vehicles per Day
VPM = Vibrations per Minute
VSI = Vertical Shaft Impactor (crusher)
WIP = Work In Progress
WMA = Warm-Mix Asphalt
WOA = World of Asphalt
WZSC = Workzone Safety Clearinghouse