Randolph (Randy) C. Ahlrich, Ph.D., P.E.
EDUCATION
Auburn University, Ph.D., 1995 – Civil Engineering
Mississippi State University, M.S., 1990 – Civil Engineering
Mississippi State University, B.S., 1983 – Civil Engineering
REGISTRATIONS
Professional Engineer: Mississippi
AFFILIATIONS, HONORS AND AWARDS
American Society of Civil Engineers – ASCE
National Society of Professional Engineers – NSPE
MS Engineering Society – MES
American Concrete Institute – ACI
American Society for Testing and Materials – ASTM
Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists – AAPT
National Asphalt Pavement Association – NAPA
MS Asphalt Pavement Association – MAPA
MS Concrete Industries Association – MCIA
MS Road Builders Association – MRBA
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc., Principal, _____ to Present
Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc., Senior Geotechnical/Pavement Engineer, 1996 -Present
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1983-1996
EXPERIENCE
Dr. Ahlrich has over 33 years experience in the civil engineering profession with emphasis in the areas of pavement design and construction, geotechnical engineering, materials testing and research. Dr. Ahlrich has provided technical assistance to the Army, Air Force, Navy, U.S. Forest Service, MDOT, FHWA, FEMA and FAA on numerous military, state, and federal pavement systems. He has been responsible for planning, developing and coordinating all phases of pavement investigations, inspections, evaluations, designs and research. Dr. Ahlrich has experience in materials testing, asphalt and concrete mix designs, pavement design, pavement construction and pavement evaluation. As a consultant, he has been responsible for conducting subsurface investigations, forensic pavement investigations, Marshall and SUPERPAVE asphalt mix designs, concrete mix designs, pavement inspections and evaluations, structural pavement designs, and trouble-shooting construction and material problems.
Dr. Ahlrich served for 13 years as pavement research engineer in the Airfield and Pavement Division, USAE Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Major duties included planning and execution of research projects for the DoD, FHWA, FAA and the Forest Service, preparation of proposals and technical reports, coordination and management of a materials laboratory, and field consulting. He has vast experience in all aspects of pavement engineering involving pavement design, construction, evaluation, inspection, materials testing, quality control and assurance, and forensic analysis. He has worked on numerous pavement construction projects involving hot mix asphalt, Portland cement concrete, chemical stabilization, base course placement and subgrade preparation where he served as project engineer and the representative responsible for quality control.
Dr. Ahlrich serves as Construction Materials Engineering and Testing Services Manager at Burns Cooley Dennis and served as laboratory manager of the Materials Research Center as WES which was responsible for materials testing and pavement research. The materials testing included evaluation of aggregates, asphalt materials, joint sealants, geotextiles, and AC and PCC mixtures. Test procedures included standard ASTM and AASHTO methods for asphalt binder materials, Marshall mix design analyses, and SHRP asphalt binder and mix design procedures. Dr. Ahlrich serves a laboratory manager for BCD’s AASHTO and Corps of Engineers Accredited laboratory for asphalt, concrete, soils and earthwork materials.
Dr. Ahlrich is Principal In-Charge and Manager of construction materials testing and inspection services for Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc. Dr. Ahlrich has supervised and managed several large, fast-track construction projects that involved significant earthwork construction, concrete construction, asphalt placement, bridge construction and chemical stabilization. Dr. Ahlrich has coordinated several investigations and developed subgrade profiles for several highway, state roads, streets and airport projects. The results of the subgrade profiles have been used to estimate CBR values that have been utilized to conduct structural pavement designs. Dr. Ahlrich has also been responsible for evaluating potential borrow sources for a variety of projects for new roadway embankments and airport pavements. Borrow investigations involve selection of boring locations and laboratory testing that includes Atterberg limits, sieve analyses, compaction tests, and soil classifications.
Dr. Ahlrich served as senior pavement engineer for research studies focused on materials characterization and prediction of permanent deformation of heavy duty asphalt pavements. Laboratory investigations involved development and evaluation of aggregate particle shape and texture tests, and evaluation of rutting potential of hot mix asphalt mixtures using the confined dynamic creep test and wheel tracking device. Guidance and limiting criteria were developed to insure high quality rut resistant hot mix asphalt pavements.
Dr. Ahlrich has provided technical assistance to the Army, Air Force, Navy, U.S. Forest Service, FHWA, FAA, paving industry organizations, and A-E firms. This support involved conducting laboratory and field research on various pavement materials and construction techniques. These projects included implementation of new innovative materials such as stone mastic asphalt (SMA), resin modified pavement (RMP), and paving blocks. Dr. Ahlrich has also provided technical assistance for several pavement rehabilitation techniques, including hot and cold mix recycling, cracking and seating PCC pavements prior to AC overlay, installation of geotextile and SAMI interlayers to prevent reflective cracking and microsurfacing. Dr. Ahlrich has participated in a number of research projects sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, Mississippi DOT, Arkansas DOT, South Dakota DOT, National Cooperative Highway Research Program and Airfield Asphalt Pavement Technology Program.
Dr. Ahlrich has also been active in technology transfer. He has served as an instructor and speaker on numerous seminars and workshops on pavement design, construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and repair. Dr. Ahlrich has been an instructor in several ACI and MCIA seminars emphasizing the design and construction of concrete parking lots. Dr. Ahlrich is also active in teaching and monitoring MDOT, MAPA, MCIA, and ACI certification programs for asphalt and concrete materials technicians.
Dr. Ahlrich has published over fifty (50) technical reports, papers and articles on various subjects relating to pavement materials, design, construction, evaluation, inspection, rehabilitation, and performance. These publications include professional papers in proceedings and journals for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), 8th International Conference on Asphalt Pavements, Transportation Research Board (TRB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Defense (DOD), and a variety of national technical conferences.