pddxconvert user manual

Software Users Manual: PDDXconvert

Developed for Pooled Fund Study TPF-5(039) Falling Weight Deflectometer Calibration Center and Operational Improvements November 2010

FOREWORD

This report will provide guidance for user of the PDDXconvert software package, primarily as a stand-alone computer program. PDDXconvert was written to interface between native file formats produced by the commercially available falling weight deflectometers (FWDs) and the data input format for the WinFWDCal software that is used for calibrating FWDs. PDDXconvert standardizes the data format using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official's (AASHTO's) Pavement Deflection Data Exchange (PDDX) format. PDDXconvert can also be used as a stand alone program. It can be used to harmonize the FWD data file format used with various backcalculation programs. The report will be of interest to engineers who perform structural evaluation of pavements. This final report covers the initial 2-year Phase I and the subsequent Task Orders 1 and 2 of the pooled fund study TPF-5(039). Jorge Pagan-Ortiz Director, Office of Infrastructure Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE

1. Report No. none

2. Government Accession No.

3. Recipient’s Catalog No. 5. Report Date November 2010

4. Title and Subtitle Software Users Manual: PDDXconvert

6. Performing Organization Code:

7. Author(s) David P. Orr, Lynne H. Irwin, and Robert Hansen

8. Performing Organization Report No. CLRP Report No. 2010-05 10. Work Unit No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address Cornell University Local Roads Program 416 Riley-Robb Hall Ithaca, NY 14853

11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-04-C-00041 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report, September 2004–November 2010

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Infrastructure Research and Development Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296

14. Sponsoring Agency Code HRDI-13

15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives (COTR): Eric Weaver (2004-08) and Jane Jiang (2008-10) 16. Abstract The objective of pooled fund study TPF-5(039) is to upgrade the existing falling weight deflectometer (FWD) calibration system to make calibration sustainable for the next decade without a loss of quality while ensuring any new procedures are compatible with all brands of FWDs sold in the United States. This involves upgrading the hardware and software used in calibration to take advantage of improvements in technology. PDDXconvert is used to translate the FWD native file format into a standardized Pavement Deflection Data Exchange format that is prescribed by AASHTO. This enables the FWD calibration software, WinFWDCal, to import FWD data electronically, saving time and avoiding data entry errors. WinFWDCal and PDDXconvert work together automatically, and no user input is required to manage the data entry process. PDDXconvert may also be used as a stand-alone program. For example, it can be used in conjunction with backcalculation programs to allow data from several different manufacturers' FWDs to be processed by the same program. This users guide is written to assist that mode of program usage.

17. Key Words falling weight deflectometer, FWD, backcalculation, calibration, PDDX format, electronic data entry, file format conversion

18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified

21. No. of Pages 15

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITS

Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol LENGTH

in inches 25.4 millimeters mm ft feet 0.305 meters m yd yards 0.914 meters m mi miles 1.61 kilometers km

AREA in2 square inches 645.2 square millimeters mm2

ft2 square feet 0.093 square meters m2

yd2 square yard 0.836 square meters m2

ac acres 0.405 hectares ha mi2 square miles 2.59 square kilometers km2

VOLUME fl oz fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters mL gal gallons 3.785 liters L ft3 cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters m3

yd3 cubic yards 0.765 cubic meters m3

NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m3

MASS oz ounces 28.35 grams glb pounds 0.454 kilograms kgT short tons (2000 lb) 0.907 megagrams (or "metric ton") Mg (or "t")

TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) oF Fahrenheit 5 (F-32)/9 Celsius oC

or (F-32)/1.8 ILLUMINATION

fc foot-candles 10.76 lux lx fl foot-Lamberts 3.426 candela/m2 cd/m2

FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS lbf poundforce 4.45 newtons N lbf/in2 poundforce per square inch 6.89 kilopascals kPa

APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITS Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol

LENGTHmm millimeters 0.039 inches in m meters 3.28 feet ft m meters 1.09 yards yd km kilometers 0.621 miles mi

AREA mm2 square millimeters 0.0016 square inches in2

m2 square meters 10.764 square feet ft2

m2 square meters 1.195 square yards yd2

ha hectares 2.47 acres ac km2 square kilometers 0.386 square miles mi2

VOLUME mL milliliters 0.034 fluid ounces fl oz L liters 0.264 gallons gal m3 cubic meters 35.314 cubic feet ft3

m3 cubic meters 1.307 cubic yards yd3

MASS g grams 0.035 ounces ozkg kilograms 2.202 pounds lbMg (or "t") megagrams (or "metric ton") 1.103 short tons (2000 lb) T

TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) oC Celsius 1.8C+32 Fahrenheit oF

ILLUMINATION lx lux 0.0929 foot-candles fc cd/m2 candela/m2 0.2919 foot-Lamberts fl

FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS N newtons 0.225 poundforce lbf kPa kilopascals 0.145 poundforce per square inch lbf/in2

*SI is the symbol for th International System of Units. Appropriate rounding should be made to comply with Section 4 of ASTM E380. e(Revised March 2003)

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1

PDDXCONVERT SOFTWARE .............................................................................................. 1 THE PDDX STANDARD........................................................................................................ 1 INSTALLING PDDXCONVERT ............................................................................................ 1 COMMAND LINE OPTIONS................................................................................................ 2

CHAPTER 2. MENU ITEMS...................................................................................................... 3

EXIT.......................................................................................................................................... 3 OPEN......................................................................................................................................... 3 REVIEWING FILES............................................................................................................... 4 CONFIGURE ........................................................................................................................... 6

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 7

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................. 9

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Photo. Exit message if unsaved PDDX file exists........................................................3

Figure 2. Photo. Open dialog box for PDDXconvert. .................................................................4

Figure 3. Photo. Review screen from PDDXconvert. .................................................................5

Figure 4. Photo. Configuration screen from PDDXconvert.......................................................5

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. PDDX command line file type codes. ............................................................................2

iv

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

PDDXCONVERT SOFTWARE

The PDDXconvert software was developed as part of an FHWA pooled fund study TPF-5(039): FWD Calibration Center and Operational Improvements.( )1 PDDXconvert is a computer program designed to convert the native data from each brand of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) into a modified version of the AASHTO Pavement Deflection Data Exchange (PDDX) file.( )2 PDDXconvert runs in the background of the FWD calibration software, WinFWDCal. To electronically transfer FWD data in native file format to WinFWDCal, PDDXconvert is called using a command line option in WinFWDCal. Instructions on how to use the command line options are provided in the Command Line Option section of this chapter. THE PDDX STANDARD

The purpose of the AASHTO Pavement Deflection Data Exchange (PDDX) standard is to foster a uniform file format for output from all types of pavement deflection devices, including FWDs. A harmonized file format allows programmers to develop deflection data analysis programs without the need to provide file readers for the many different formats that have been produced by equipment manufacturers over a period of years. While the intent of the standard is to define a harmonized data format, it is not intended to replace the native file formats of the various manufacturers. Both formats can be provided if the manufacturer so chooses. Equipment owners have the option to select the desired output file format. The PDDX format can be used for static, steady-state vibratory, and dynamic pulse-loading devices, although the primary focus of standard is for pulse-loading devices (i.e., FWDs). The PDDX format groups related data items into sections with descriptive names and is similar to the INI format used in Windows-based configuration files. Each line in the file can be either a section heading or a data entry field with one or more values. The data created by PDDXconvert do not match the version 1.0 standard from AASHTO. Minor modifications were needed to meet the needs of FWD calibration. The revised, version 2.0 format of the PDDX Standard created by PDDXconvert is described in the published report of the pooled fund study TPF-5(039).( )1

INSTALLING PDDXCONVERT

PDDXconvert can be used with WinFWDCal in FWD Calibration or as a self standing program. PDDXconvert is automatically installed when WinFWDCal is installed.

1


For a stand-alone installation, the Install PDDXConvert.msi, is used to install the software. The default location is the same as WinFWDCal, C:\WinFWDCal, but the user may install the software at any location of their choosing. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

PDDXconvert can be used in command line mode to generate files automatically. This could be set up as a batch file, or in a command from within another computer program. This is how the FWD calibration software, WinFWDCal, calls PDDXconvert when converting native files into PDDX Standard format. To call PDDXconvert with the Command Line Option The following example uses a Visual Basic 6.0 shell command. Different programming languages will have different format requirements. Shell app.Path & "\PDDXConvert.exe" + CommandLine where:

CommandLine = " " + Filename + ", " + CStr(CurrentFileType) Filename = The name of the file to be converted including the path. CurrentFileType = An integer assigned to the native file type to be converted.

The first blank space in CommandLine is needed to separate the command \PDDXConvert.exe from the name of the file. The comma and blank are needed to separate the file name from the file type. The current file types are shown in table 1.

Table 1. PDDX command line file type codes.

FileTypes Integer sent with command line

PDDX Standard 0 Dynatest F25 files output format 1 Dynatest F20 files in R32-20 and R80-20 'SHRP' compatible format

2

Carl Bro FWD output format 3 Carl Bro configuration file exported as text 4 JILS DAT output format 6 JILS Setup.Par configuration file 7 KUAB FWD output format 8 KUAB INI configuration file 9 JILS CFG configuration file 10

2

CHAPTER 2. MENU ITEMS

EXIT

Exits PDDXconvert. You will be asked to save any files that have been opened, but not yet saved in PDDX format. The following window will appear for each PDDX file that has been generated, but not saved.

Figure 1. Photo. Exit message if unsaved PDDX file exists.

OPEN

Opens a file browser allowing a user to open files of various formats and configurations. As shown in figure 2, PDDXconvert supports the following field data collection operational formats:

• Dynatest F20 files in R32-20 and R80-20 'SHRP' compatible format.

• Dynatest F25 files from both Version 25 and FWDWin operational programs.

• Carl Bro FWD output format.

• JILS DAT output format.

• KUAB FWD output format.

• PDDX Format (allows user to check for missing data needed for FWD Calibration).

In addition, the program supports several FWD configuration file formats to allow direct importation of the existing settings into WinFWDCal, the FWD calibration software.

• KUAB INI configuration file.

• Carl Bro configuration file exported as text with the RoSy® software program or other text based configuration files.

• JILS Setup.Par and .CFG configuration files (A current Set.Par, cfg and DAT file need to be imported during calibration setup to get all of the serial numbers and gains associated with a JILS FWD).

To use, select the file type by selecting a radio button and then browse for a file. Once the file name has been selected, it will be translated and placed into a PDDX format window. The data should be reviewed to be sure all necessary information is present.

3


A Blank PDDX button is available to create data manually in PDDX format. Be sure any data meet the PDDX standard. Once a blank PDDX is created, add test locations by clicking on the Add Tests button. Input the number of drops for the test location in the input box. Once it has been reviewed or prepared, the PDDX file needs to be written. To write the file, click on Write PDDX File. A file name with the same root name, but the DDX extension is suggested and will be saved in the same folder as the initial file unless changed in the file dialog box.

Figure 2. Photo. Open dialog box for PDDXconvert.

REVIEWING FILES

PDDXconvert creates a window (figure 3) with all of the possible PDDX fields available in nine sections. Additional details on the sections can be found in the Appendix C of the project report.( )1

• Pavement Deflection Data Exchange File.

• Operations Information.

• Units.

• Device Information.

• Device Configuration.

• Device Calibration.

• Location Identification.

4

Chapter 2. Menu Items

Figure 3. Photo. Review screen from PDDXconvert.

Figure 4. Photo. Configuration screen from PDDXconvert.

5


• Data Configuration.

• Test Location Number.

The user should review each section carefully. The first column in figure 3 shows the section. The second column shows the possible data items, while the third column shows the associated value or values. If the third column is blank, the particular data are assumed to be missing and will NOT be written during the PDDX file generation. CONFIGURE

This command allows the user to specify the default file type and location for the input files (figure 4). Only the field data collection operational formats are allowed to be chosen as defaults. The data formats used as part of FWD calibration are not selectable. The user selects the format to be set as the default and uses the browse command button to enter the default location to save files.

6

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many individuals including calibration center operators and FWD manufacturers provided helpful assistance, advice, and permission to use information provided during the development of the calibration protocol and the PDDXconvert software. The authors particularly want to thank Peter Schmalzer, Half-Space Engineering, who provided Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code for importing several of the file formats FWD Manufacturers René Clemen, Klavs Olsen and Hans Christian Korsgaard – Carl Bro Karsten Skrydstrup, William Beck and Dave Morrow – Dynatest Abbas Butt and Ole Tholen – ERI-KUAB Reuben Williams and Tim Martin – Fugro Consultants LP Gary Sanati, President/CEO – JILS FWD Calibration Centers Dave Wassel and Cal Heinl – North Atlantic LTPP FWD Calibration Center David Bullock – North Central LTPP FWD Calibration Center Eric Prieve and Ed Trujillo – Western LTPP FWD Calibration Center John Ragsdale – Southern LTPP FWD Calibration Center

7

REFERENCES

1. Irwin, L.H., D.P. Orr, and D. Atkins. (2010) FWD Calibration Center and Operational Improvements: Redevelopment of the Calibration Protocol and Equipment. Report No. FHWA-HRT-07-040. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development, Federal Highway Administration. McLean, VA

2. AASHTO, (1998) Pavement Deflection Data Exchange, Technical Data Guide. Version 1.0 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Washington, D.C.:

9

pddxconvert user manual

Documents