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· Basic familiarity with signal processing, Calibration Center Operator Qualifications
· Automotive maintenance, and
· Computer skills. Training requirements differ slightly from one calibration
center to another. For example, Pennsylvania calibration
In addition to those skills, FWD operators should be able center technicians are trained by Cornell University and
to clearly communicate with the office and take direction. are certified by MACTEC. The calibration center in Minne-
Furthermore, FWD operators should be exposed to data pro- sota, on the other hand, has not yet implemented an in-house
cessing and analysis techniques. With these skills, operators training program, but it plans to do so in the future.
can spot erroneous data before the errors have a chance to
propagate, thus saving agencies time and money.
TRAINING CERTIFICATIONS
Falling Weight Deflectometer Data Analysts
Qualifications Certificate programs for FWD operators and data analysts are
rare. One state--South Carolina--and one FWD vendor--
Sixty-six percent of SHAs reported that they provide training Carl Bro--stated explicitly that a certification program is in
to new FWD data analysts. Training duration mostly fell into place for FWD operators (Appendix B, Questions 70). The
one of two responses; 31% stated 1 month or less of training South Carolina certificate is earned when a new operator
was provided, and 27% stated that training was provided for rides "with a certified operator for a period of time to show
6 months. When asked for more details, six SHAs explicitly proficiency, and pass a test" (Appendix B, Questions 71).
stated that training is provided on the job. Additionally, two
states--Nevada and North Carolina--require new analysts
to demonstrate proficiency, either by successfully completing Additional Training Opportunities
data-gathering operations under supervision or by passing a
Falling Weight Deflectometer User's Group
test (Appendix B, Questions 66, 6869).
Three SHAs stated that vendors provided at least some Sixty-one percent of SHAs surveyed send representatives
training. New FWD equipment purchases include training to the annual FWDUG meeting (Appendix B, Questions
sessions. Details of these training sessions are described in 72). The FWDUG was started in 1992 as a forum to "share
Table 6. information and experiences in the practical aspects of FWD
TABLE 6
FWD VENDOR-PROVIDED DATA ANALYST TRAINING SUMMARY
FWD Vendor Training Duration Concepts Covered
Carl Bro 5 days Introduction to road design software, including data import, quality check, and calculation
Basic pavement design theory
Presentation of calculation results
Basic troubleshooting
Dynatest -- Included with purchase of new FWD equipment
Refresher courses available for newly hired operators
Smoothing
User manual overview
Support contact information
JILS -- --
KUAB -- Development of a FWD test pattern
Data acquisition and data reduction
Pavement section definition
Load and temperature normalization of data
Back-calculation of layer moduli values
Load transfer and void detection in PCC pavements
Structural evaluation of existing pavements
Determining remaining structural life and overlay thickness design
Note: -- = no response given.
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testing and data analysis." Meetings are held once per year National Highway Institute
in various cities across the United States. Free exchange of
ideas is encouraged. Currently, Patricia Polish of the Nevada A division of FHWA, the National Highway Institute (NHI),
DOT serves as the FWDUG's executive secretary. Meetings is a clearinghouse for highway construction and mainte-
are typically held in October or November (FWD: Introduc- nance education materials. NHI currently does not offer a
tion 2007). training course for FWD usage, but 85% of SHAs surveyed
would support one. A course previously offered by NHI dis-
cussed pavement deflection analysis, including FWD usage
(Pavement Deflection Analysis 1994).
