New Website, Videos, Paper: Tarantula Curve—Mix Designs & Enhancing Aggregates

The Tarantula Curve website was developed by the civil engineering research team at School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Oklahoma State University under the direction of Tyler Ley, Ph.D., P.E., Professor Civil Engineering; Dan Cook, Ph.D., Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Technical Service Engineer-Buzzi Unicem-USA; and Ashkan Ghaeezadah, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Project Engineer-B&T Group. The focus of the website began as a resource to advance aggregate proportioning through gradation, but has evolved to advance the knowledge of concrete materials, basic mixture design principles, and most important, optimized graded concrete with gradation guidelines. The “Overview/Guide” VIDEO, is a guide to the 5 VIDEOS on the “Tarantula Curve” (via YouTube) made by Dr. Ley, is sponsored by the Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center). For the initial “Overview/Guide”video, please go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-r4-9OcuyY&feature=youtu.be. For the 5 individual videos: Introduction, Case Studies, Development, Mixture Design, and Design Example, please see the links at the end of this article.

SECTIONS of The Tarantula Curve Website:
“The Box Test” is a workability test for slip-formed pavements that evaluates the ability of a mixture to be consolidated and subsequently hold an edge. If the mixture does not perform well, WR can be added until it passes—providing a useful way to compare the performance of slip formed paving mixtures. For the link to the “Box Test” and Videos, please go to: http://www.tarantulacurve.com/the-box-test.html

Gradation Specification & Spreadsheet: Specification for Optimized Graded Concrete For Flowable Applications: After evaluating almost 200 concrete mixtures for flowable concrete applications, the research team used the data to develop a specification for general ready-mix type concrete—developing the recommended aggregate specification. For the link to the “Gradation Specification” and Spreadsheet, please go to: http://www.tarantulacurve.com/recommended-specification1.html

Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Report from 2013: Optimized Graded Concrete has been a subject widely discussed through the history of concrete. Since aggregates make up over 70% of the volume in a mixture, gradation is critical to the strength, workability, and durability of concrete. In this report, a new workability test for concrete was developed to investigate mixtures for slip formed pavements. For the PDF report from 2013, please go to: http://www.tarantulacurve.com/uploads/1/6/3/9/16391330/cook-ley_odotfinalreport.pdf

Aggregate Class: This section of the website is dedicated to advancing the education of aggregate. These lecture notes and videos to help lay out a fundamental understanding of aggregates—focus on aggregates in concrete applications, information on the chemical make-up of aggregates, properties of aggregate, gradation, exacting aggregate, and use of aggregates in different applications.
The 6 topics of Aggregates: • Uses • Aggregate Properties • Exploration • Exacting • Quarry Production • Construction Specifications. For the link to Aggregate Basics, please go to: http://www.tarantulacurve.com/aggregate.html

The research team is continuously compiling data and publishing their findings. Below are links to download current publications, reports, videos, spreadsheet, and more:

The Tarantula Curve Main WEBSITE, including publications, reports, spreadsheets, PowerPoint Presentations, and Presentations for Slip Formed Pavements: http://www.tarantulacurve.com

Specification for Optimized Graded Concrete Pavement WEBSITE: http://www.tarantulacurve.com/recommended-specification.html

ASCE Library TECHNICAL PAPER by M. Tyler Ley, Ph.D., P.E.; Daniel Cook, Ph.D.; and Ashkan Ghaeezadah titled “Effects of Aggregate Concepts on the Workability of Slip-Formed Concrete” (paper is available for purchase): For the abstract, click on image to right or go to: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29MT.1943-5533.0001608

VIDEO: “Overview/Guide on The Tarantula Curve”:
Click photo below, or go to:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-r4-9OcuyY&feature=youtu.be

5 Individual VIDEOS: Click photo below, or go to:

• Introduction – https://youtu.be/n43Sxd28q1E
• Case Studies – https://youtu.be/m3Oi1g4Vaco
• Development – https://youtu.be/4-_MY1klNzQ
• Mixture Design – https://youtu.be/9az5Gf2Jaus
• Design Example – https://youtu.be/YFQE2ZHbCLA

Home page image from Paper: “Toward Performance Specifications for Concrete Durability: Using the Formation Factor for Corrosion and Critical Saturation for Freeze-Thaw” by William Jason Weiss, M. Tyler Ley, O. Burkan Isgor, and Thomas Van Dam