Eric Pease Awarded Ph.D in Civil Engineering
July 2010

Dr. R. Eric Pease completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering.  The title of his dissertation was “Hydraulic Properties of Asphalt Concrete.”  Dr. Pease’s research applied methods of saturated and unsaturated flow, common in the field of soil physics, to asphalt concrete.  The low total porosity and hydrophobic nature of the asphalt concrete made it a challenging material in which to study water flow.  Unsaturated hydraulic conductivities of the asphalt concrete were predicted based on the moisture characteristic curves and were then compared with values measured in the laboratory using an original method.  According to Dr. Pease, “DBS&A has an atmosphere that is supportive of research and academic pursuits and thus made obtaining a degree while working full-time and raising a family a little easier to manage.”  Dr. Pease is a Senior Engineer with DBS&A, specializing in geotechnical engineering.  He provides civil design, review, and laboratory soil testing support.