The roads and highways we drive on everyday are so much a part of our regular routine that it is easy to overlook the technology that goes into their development and upkeep.We tend to pay the most attention to the asphalt beneath our tires when typically smooth driving becomes bumpy with rough pavement or, even worse, a pot hole.
Dr. Sang-soo Kim, an associate professor of civil engineering in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University (OU), has devoted much of his work to developing technologies that improves road maintenance to maximize quality and reduce repair costs.With the assistance of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at OU’s Voinovich School, Dr. Kim and his company EZ Asphalt Technologies, LLC (EZ Asphalt) have been working to make sure drivers don’t have to worry about when they will hit another pothole.
The United States spends millions of dollars each year to maintain its roadways, due in large part to cracks that develop in asphalt pavement.As air temperature changes, asphalt expands and contracts, causing cracks that result in major highway problems.For the most part, the industry has struggled to find an accurate tool for measuring the thermal properties that lead to cracking.
Dr. Kim developed a mechanism, known as the asphalt binder cracking device or ABCD, for correctly testing asphalt’s low temperature properties and obtained a patent for it.In March of 2007, Dr. Kim approached the SBDC to discuss business start-up assistance and the process of commercializing his product.Two months later the SBDC and Dr. Kim incorporated EZ Asphalt and together drafted a grant proposal to secure over $250,000 in federal funds for additional research of the ABCD.
After a year of further research, Dr. Kim and the SBDC staff had the footing to take the next step toward commercialization, namely marketing and website development.To aid in this endeavor, EZ Asphalt sought and received additional funding in November 2008 through TechGROWTH Ohio, an Entrepreneurial Signature Program, funded by Ohio’s Third Frontier Program.
The ABCD is slated for release in mid-2009, much to Dr. Kim’s delight. Today, EZ Asphalt’s three employees work out of office space in OU’s Innovation Center and are assisting Dr. Kim in the development of future products. He is pleased with the help he has received through the SBDC and the Voinovich School, during the many stages of product development.
“The SBDC has helped me from the idea stage through the formation and incorporation of EZ Asphalt, and for that I’m very grateful,” Dr. Kim said.“I’m looking forward to working with them in the future, and hopeful for what is to come.”