Evaluation of Strains at the Bottom of the Asphalt Base Layer of a Semi-Rigid Pavement Under a Class 6 Vehicle

Abstract

A newly constructed pavement on US-287 near Mansfield, TX was instrumented with gauges installed at the bottom of the asphalt concrete base layer to measure the longitudinal and transverse strains developed under a test vehicle. The finite element program Abaqus was used to compute the strains at the location of the gauges; they were found in good agreement with the measured strains. The research showed that the strains under the steering axle were of similar magnitude as the strains under the rear tandem axle. The measured transverse strains were in general slightly bigger than the corresponding longitudinal strains, while the finite element model computed higher strains in the longitudinal direction. These findings suggest the need to account for the strain responses from the steering axle of trucks and to account for both the longitudinal and the transverse strains when computing the fatigue damage induced by trucks.