00469593

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...trr/1987/1136/1136-007.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...xena&publication_year=1987

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is responsible for 44,000 mi of roads, the majority of which have pavements with limited structural capacity. The state has the authority to restrict axle loads on its roads if it is believed that those axle loads would result in excessive damage to the pavement structure. Consequently, a procedure for establishing axle load restrictions is necessary. As part of the development of a framework for load limit analysis, an evaluation was made of the sensitivity of pavement response and predicted performance to variations in loads, layer moduli, and layer thicknesses. To evaluate the effect of axle loads under a variety of conditions, a theoretical elastic layer analysis was conducted that considered various load magnitudes and configurations for different pavement thicknesses and material properties. It was found that axle configuration (single-, tandem-, and triple-axle assemblies) did not significantly affect theoretical pavement response, provided that the load per tire remained the same. In addition, a comparison of predictions from various performance models indicated that the sensitivity of predicted performance to the design variables considered can vary depending on the performance model and failure criteria used. Equivalence factors calculated for a broad range of pavement structures were also examined. It was found that AASHTO equivalence factors do not vary significantly with different pavement structures. Consequently, the use of these equivalence factors for evaluating the effects of alternative load limit policies is not advisable.

Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Flexible Pavement Design. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01418141

pp 69-78

1987

Transportation Research Record

0309045169

Print

Figures (19) ; References (9) ; Tables (4)

Axle load force; Axles; Elastic analysis; Evaluation; Flexible pavements; Load limits; Pavements; Thickness; Traffic equivalence factor; Vehicle design

Layered elastic analysis; Pavement thickness

Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jul 31 1988 12:00AM

• ANALYTICAL EVALUATION OF VARIABLES AFFECTING SURFACE WAVE TESTING OF PAVEMENTS
• COMBINED EFFECT OF TRAFFIC LOADS AND THERMAL GRADIENTS ON CONCRETE PAVEMENT DESIGN
• DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF PAVING MATERIALS
• EFFECT OF CONCRETE OVERLAY DEBONDING ON PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE (DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE)
• ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROLLER-COMPACTED CONCRETE
• FEACONS III COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR ANALYSIS OF JOINTED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS
• FIELD ANALYSIS OF RUTTING IN OVERLAYS OF CONCRETE INTERSTATE PAVEMENTS IN ILLINOIS
• NINE-YEAR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ARIZONA'S PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PAVEMENT
• NONDESTRUCTIVELY DELINEATING CHANGES IN MODULUS PROFILES OF SECONDARY ROADS
• RELIABILITY OF THE FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN MODEL
• THICKNESS DESIGN OF ROLLER-COMPACTED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS (DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE)