512 — SURFACE ABRASION 2026 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS CATEGORY 500 PAVING SECTION 512 — SURFACE ABRASION
512.01 Description
Perform Surface Abrasion (SA) using high velocity steel shot to modify the pavement surface texture.
512.02 Materials
Not Applicable. Equipment.
a.Surface Abrasion Machine. Perform texturing with a machine designed and built for high production pavement texturing. The machine shall be capable of maintaining a minimum average production rate of 1800 yd 2/hour for pavement surfaces with a minimum width of 48 in. per pass. The machine shall be capable of separating and recycling the steel shot employing the High Velocity Impact Method (HVIM), and shall vacuum and contain the abrasion debris into a self-contained unit with a minimum capacity of 3 yd 3. The SA equipment shall be equipped with controls capable of monitoring and controlling the vehicle speed and shot velocity. Self-contained lighting is required for night operations.
b.Steel Shot. Use steel shot material which does not exceed the EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test thresholds for the eight metals which define the RCRA toxicity characteristics according to 40 CFR 261.24 (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver). Submit certification as specified in TC 1.03 and an MSDS for the steel shot to be used.
512.03 Construction
512.03.01 Quality Control Plan. Submit a Quality Control Plan (QCP) for approval at least
30 days prior to construction operations. The QCP shall show the methods proposed to control the equipment and abrasion operations. Discuss the QCP requirements at the pre-construction and progress meetings. The QCP shall contain, at a minimum:
a.Key Personnel and contact information.
b.Cleaning and maintenance schedule for the SA equipment. 512 — SURFACE ABRASION 2026 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
c.Field safety;
d.Control of steel shot and abrasion debris;
e.Corrective actions that will be taken for unsatisfactory construction practices and deviations from the material Specifications; and
f.A manufacturer’s representative must be present at the construction site to train construction personnel prior to applying SA Treatments and must remain available during application as necessary. The QCP shall designate a Plan Administrator with full authority to institute any action necessary for the successful operation of the Plan. The Plan Administrator may supervise the QCP on more than one project, if that person can be in contact with the job site within one hour after being notified. Maintain and make available upon request complete records of quality control inspection results and actions taken to correct problems. Any deviation from the approved QCP shall be cause for immediate suspension of construction operations.
512.03.02 Control Strip and Acceptance Testing. Identify each distinct pavement surface by
apparent age or material composition visually and based on construction history records. Distinct pavement surfaces longer than 1000 lane-ft require a control strip at least 50 ft. Test the control strip before and after abrasion as specified and according to the table below. All control strip post- abrasion tests must pass prior to proceeding with construction. Provide a new control strip adjacent to the failed strip for re-treatment using modified application parameters.
512.03.03 Surface Abrasion. The distance from the edge of traffic markings to the texture shall be
a maximum of 3 in. Do not perform surface abrasion over drainage inlets. The longitudinal area between dashed lane markings need not be textured. Complete all SA treatment, dust/abrasion removal, and successful testing prior to opening to traffic. Collect and store all abrasion debris removed during the texturing process in the SA unit until it can be removed from the project and properly disposed of off-site as directed. Recover any loose steel shot using magnetic means. Abrasion debris is not permitted to be left on the roadway or swept off to the side. Maintain all roadway markings either by exclusion or replacement at no additional cost. Test the abraded surface according to the table below during construction of the initial and final passes in each lane of each distinct pavement surface. Test locations shall be random and identified as directed. If any test fails during construction, re-treat the failed area halfway between two passing test locations. Conduct a new control strip if two consecutive test locations fail to establish appropriate application parameters. The Administration will perform Quality Assurance (QA) testing as determined. 512 — SURFACE ABRASION 2026 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS Control Strip Acceptance Pre-Abrasion Post-Abrasion During Construction Frequency Requirement Frequency Requirement Frequency Requirement Sand Patch (MSMT 413) Minimum of 2 per Control Strip For Documentation Only Minimum of 2 per Control Strip Average Diameter < 6.5 in. Outflow Meter (E2380) Minimum of 2 per Control Strip For Documentation Only Minimum of 2 per Control Strip 9 Seconds Maximum 2 per distinct surface, or 5 Per Lane Mile, whichever is greater. 9 Seconds Maximum
512.04 Measurement and Payment
Surface Abrasion will be measured and paid for at the Contract unit price per square yard of completed and accepted work. Payment will be full compensation for surface abrasion work, hauling, storing, pavement marking replacement, control strip construction, abrasion debris removal and disposal, magnetic steel shot recovery, sampling, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure testing, control strip and acceptance field testing, and for all material, labor, equipment, tools, and incidentals necessary to complete the work.
a.Surface Abrasion on Asphalt Surface will be measured and paid for as specified.
b.Surface Abrasion on Portland Cement Concrete Surface will be measured and paid for as specified.
c.Surface Abrasion on Bridge Deck Per Square Yard will be measured and paid as specified.
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Source: Standard Specifications for Construction and Materials, 2026 Edition. Pages 686–688 of 1,138. View official source ↗