scholarly journals Flexible pavement damage during spring thaw: A field study using the falling weight deflectometer

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pascal Bilodeau ◽  
Guy Doré
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Damage ◽  
Load Reduction ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Material Condition ◽  
Structural Capacity ◽  
Vehicle Loading ◽  
Pavement Response ◽  
Pavement Damage ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
Performance Conditions

Spring thaw creates critical performance conditions for pavement networks. The increase of water content in the pavement environment is significant during spring thaw. Combined with poor drainage conditions, material condition variations are triggering factors that accentuate the effect of heavy vehicle loading on pavement response and damage. Two experimental pavement sections were monitored in 2014 and 2015 for temperature and deflections. The section with the lowest structural capacity was found to be more sensitive to thaw weakening. Fatigue damage calculated for this section was found to be 31% higher than the section with the highest structural capacity. Moreover, it was shown that a load reduction in the range of 20% can decrease the total yearly damage by about 7 to 10% for the considered test sections. In general, fatigue damage was found to increase from spring onset to the warmest conditions of the yearly cycle, in July.

Use of Microcracking to Reduce Shrinkage Cracking in Cement-Treated Bases

2005 ◽  
Vol 1936 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Sebesta
Keyword(s):  
Cement Hydration ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Shrinkage Cracking ◽  
Crack Control ◽  
Pavement Distress ◽  
Pavement Damage ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
Periodic Crack ◽  
Construction Practice

Shrinkage cracking occurs in cement-treated bases because of desiccation and cement hydration; eventually these cracks start to reflect through the pavement surfacing. Although initially considered cosmetic, these cracks open the pavement to water infiltration and increase the likelihood of accelerated pavement distress. Numerous options exist for minimizing the amount of reflective cracks that appear; microcracking is a promising approach. The microcracking concept can be defined as the application of several vibratory roller passes to the cement-treated base at a short curing stage, typically after 1 to 3 days, to create a fine network of cracks. In addition to the microcracked test sites, the contractor constructed moist-cured, dry-cured, and asphalt membrane–cured sites for comparison. Researchers used falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests to control the microcracking process, periodic crack surveys to monitor crack performance, and FWD tests through time to track base moduli. Microcracking proved quite effective at reducing shrinkage cracking problems in the base; applying the procedure with three passes of the roller after 2 to 3 days of curing resulted in the best performance. In addition, researchers observed that, without microcracking, excessively high cement contents resulted in problematic cracking in the base even if they were cured according to good construction practice. Microcracking did not result in pavement damage or diminished inservice modulus; thus, microcracking should be considered a viable and inexpensive option to incorporate shrinkage crack control into the construction of cement-treated bases.

Mechanistically Based Flexible Overlay Design System for Idaho

1996 ◽  
Vol 1543 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad M. Bayomy ◽  
Fawzi A. Al-Kandari ◽  
Robert M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Design Procedure ◽  
Failure Criteria ◽  
The State ◽  
Design System ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Overlay Design ◽  
Pavement Damage ◽  
Critical Strains ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
User Friendly

A study was conducted on a mechanistically based overlay design procedure that incorporates the in situ pavement layer modulus values evaluated by deflection-based nondestructive testing using falling weight deflectometer data. The proposed overlay design procedure addresses the seasonal variation in the state of Idaho and adjusts the modulus values accordingly. The performance of the pavement is calculated in terms of critical strains based on the elastic multilayer theory. The study adopts the Asphalt Institute fatigue and rutting failure criteria to calculate the life of the pavement. Damage analysis is performed based on the past and expected future traffic to calculate the required overlay thickness. The procedure developed has been implemented in an event-driven, user-friendly computer program FLEXOLAY, which runs in the DOS environment. The program was tested and compared with other overlay design methods using pavement sections from the state of Idaho. The overlay thickness determined by FLEXOLAY was found to be close to some of the existing methods and far from others, depending on the existing pavement conditions.

Parks Highway Load Restriction Field Data Analysis: Case Study

1998 ◽  
Vol 1615 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutfi Raad ◽  
Eric Johnson ◽  
Dave Bush ◽  
Stephan Saboundjian
Keyword(s):  
Field Data ◽  
Traffic Data ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Truck Traffic ◽  
Weigh In Motion ◽  
Pavement Damage ◽  
Field Data Analysis ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
Thaw Period

The loss of pavement strength during spring thaw could result in excessive road damage under applied traffic loads. Damage assessment associated with the critical thaw period is essential to evaluate current load restriction policies. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities proposed a plan that will provide an engineering analysis of field conditions with 100-percent loads on the Parks Highway for 1996. Extensive data were collected and analyzed in an effort to monitor pavement damage during the spring of 1996 and to determine loss of pavement strength. Field data included truck traffic data from scalehouse and weigh-in-motion (WIM) stations, pavement temperature data, profilometer data for roughness and rutting, and falling weight deflectometer data. Analyses were performed to compare WIM and scalehouse traffic data and to determine the fraction of overweight axle-loads and corresponding pavement damage during spring thaw. Northbound and southbound truck traffic and its effect on pavement damage were considered. Ground temperature measurements were analyzed to determine when thaw initiates and how long seasonal load restrictions are required. In addition, comparisons of remaining life with and without load restrictions using mechanistic methods were conducted.

A practical approach to falling-weight deflectometer (FWD) data reduction

2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Stolle ◽  
Peijun Guo
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Shear Modulus ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Layer System ◽  
Surface Loading ◽  
Back Calculation ◽  
Pavement Response ◽  
Subgrade Modulus ◽  
Falling Weight

The authors present a simplified methodology for preprocessing falling-weight deflectometer (FWD) data, which identify a pseudo-static pavement response to surface loading. This allows one to employ static analysis to back-calculate the mechanical properties of the pavement–subgrade system. It is shown that the subgrade modulus can be identified, independent of the details of the pavement structure itself, at least for a two-layer system. The quality of the effective shear modulus is sensitive to the value of Poisson's ratio selected.Key words: pavement–subgrade system, subgrade modulus, back-calculation, FWD.

Application of Falling Weight Deflectometer Data for Analysis of Superheavy Loads

1996 ◽  
Vol 1540 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dar-Hao Chen ◽  
Emmanuel Fernando ◽  
Michael Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Pavement Condition ◽  
Percent Confidence Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Transport Vehicle ◽  
Pavement Damage ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
Surface Deflections

Permitting superheavy loads may increase the rate of pavement damage and the cost of maintenance. An analysis of a proposed superheavy load route (FM519) to evaluate the potential pavement damage caused by a planned superheavy load move is presented. Falling weight deflection (FWD) tests and backcalculations of layer moduli were performed on the FM519. FWD tests and backcalculation of layer moduli were performed on the pavement before and after the superheavy load was moved. ELSYM5 and BISAR were used to evaluate the pavement responses using the backcalculated layer moduli from FWD data. The predictions of surface deflections from ELSYM5 and BISAR were close to (within 10 percent of) the measured deflections from FWD tests. The FWD data and analyses show that the existing pavement structure is adequate for the planned superheavy load move. Finally, the permit was issued with the condition that the transport vehicle should be kept within the travel lanes and away from the shoulder whenever possible. FWD tests were conducted after the superheavy load move and comparisons with before superheavy load move were made. T-tests were performed to check for significant difference at the 95 percent confidence level. T-tests showed that there is no significant difference between before and after superheavy load move. Also, no significant distresses due to this superheavy load were observed after the move, and the pavement condition is consistent with the analysis performed to issue the permit.

Assessment of Falling Weight Deflectometer Data for Stabilized Flexible Pavements

2000 ◽  
Vol 1709 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander K. Appea ◽  
Imad L. Al-Qadi
Keyword(s):  
Resilient Modulus ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Structural Condition ◽  
Base Layer ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Structural Capacity ◽  
Pavement Monitoring ◽  
Aggregate Base ◽  
Falling Weight

Backcalculation of pavement moduli through the utilization of the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) is used for pavement monitoring and evaluation. The performance and structural condition of nine flexible pavement test sections built in Bedford County, Virginia, have been monitored over the past 5 years using FWD. The nine sections include three groups with aggregate base layer thicknesses of 100, 150, and 200 mm, respectively. Sections 1, 4, and 7 are control, whereas Sections 2, 5, 8 and 3, 6, 9 are stabilized with geotextiles and geogrids, respectively. The FWD testing used five double-load drops ranging from 26.5 to 58.9 kN. The deflection basins obtained from the testing have been analyzed using the ELMOD backcalculation program to find the pavement structural capacity and to detect changes in the aggregate resilient modulus. The analysis shows a reduction in the backcalculated resilient modulus of the 100-mmthick base layer. The reduction was 33 percent over 5 years for the nonstabilized section compared with the geosynthetically stabilized section. The reduction in base layer resilient modulus may have resulted from subgrade fine migration into this layer as confirmed by excavation. The study confirms the effectiveness of using woven geotextile as a separator in a pavement system built over weak subgrade. This supports the continuous rutting measurements and ground truth excavation conducted in late 1997.

Evaluation and Validation of a Model for Predicting Pavement Structural Number with Rolling Wheel Deflectometer Data

2015 ◽  
Vol 2525 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa A. Elseifi ◽  
Kevin Gaspard ◽  
Paul W. Wilke ◽  
Zhongjie Zhang ◽  
Ahmed Hegab
Keyword(s):  
Pavement Management ◽  
Average Error ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Road ◽  
Average Prediction Error ◽  
Structural Capacity ◽  
Rolling Wheel ◽  
Falling Weight

Because of costs and the slow test process, the use of structural capacity in pavement management activities at the network level has been limited. The rolling wheel deflectometer (RWD) was introduced to support existing nondestructive testing techniques by providing a screening tool for structurally deficient pavements at the network level. A model was developed to estimate structural number (SN) from RWD data obtained in a Louisiana study. The objective for this study was to evaluate the use of the Louisiana model to predict structural capacity in Pennsylvania and to compare the results with those of existing methods. RWD testing was conducted on 288 mi of the road network in Pennsylvania, and falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing and coring were conducted on selected sites. The prediction from a model used to estimate SN from RWD deflection data was compared statistically with the prediction obtained from FWD testing and from roadway management system records used by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to calculate SN. The results of this analysis validated the use of the model to estimate the pavement SN according to RWD deflection data. In general, the predicted SN was in agreement with the SN calculated from the FWD. The original model with the fitted coefficients developed for Louisiana showed an average prediction error of 27%. However, after the model was refitted to the data set from Pennsylvania, the average error dropped to 19%. Results indicated that the model developed for SN prediction from the RWD provided an adequate prediction of SN for conditions different from those for which it was developed in Louisiana.

Relationship Between Backcalculated and Laboratory-Measured Resilient Moduli of Unbound Materials

2003 ◽  
Vol 1849 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo W. Flintsch ◽  
Imad L. Al-Qadi ◽  
Youngjin Park ◽  
Thomas L. Brandon ◽  
Alexander Appea
Keyword(s):  
Resilient Modulus ◽  
Shift Factor ◽  
Falling Weight Deflectometer ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Structural Capacity ◽  
Bulk Stress ◽  
Stress Dependent ◽  
Falling Weight ◽  
Virginia Smart Road

The resilient moduli of an unbound granular subbase (used at the Virginia Smart Road) obtained from laboratory testing were compared with those backcalculated from in situ falling weight deflectometer deflection measurements. Testing was performed on the surface of the finished subgrade and granular subbase layer shortly after construction. The structural capacity of the constructed subgrade and the depth to a stiff layer were computed for 12 experimental sections. The in situ resilient modulus of the granular subbase layer (21-B) was then back-calculated from the deflections measured on top of that layer. The back-calculated layer moduli were clearly stress-dependent, showing an exponential behavior with the bulk stress in the center of the layer. Resilient modulus test results of laboratory-compacted specimens confirmed the stress dependence of the subbase material modulus. Three resilient modulus models were fitted to the data. Although all three models showed good coefficients of determination ( R2 > 90%), the K-θ model was selected because of its simplicity. The correlation between field-backcalculated and laboratory-measured resilient moduli was found to be strong. However, when the stress in the middle of the layer was used in the K-θ model, a shift in the resilient modulus, θ, was observed. This finding suggests that a simple shift factor could be used for the range of stress values considered.

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