Prediction of In-Service Fatigue Life of Flexible Pavements Based on Accelerated Pavement Testing

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 000338 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Mitchell ◽  
R. E. Link ◽  
Runhua Guo ◽  
Jorge A. Prozzi
Author(s):  
Fenella Long ◽  
John Harvey ◽  
Clark Scheffy ◽  
Carl L. Monismith

The use of laboratory testing and mechanistic analysis to predict the fatigue life of the California Department of Transportation accelerated pavement testing (CAL/APT) heavy vehicle simulator (HVS) test sections is investigated. Two pavement structures are investigated: a drained pavement that includes an asphalt-treated permeable base layer and an undrained conventional asphalt concrete pavement. The fatigue life under HVS accelerated loading for both sections is predicted using the laboratory testing procedure from SHRP A-003A, which is based on tests of actual pavement samples using the flexural fatigue beam test. This fatigue life is compared with predictions from the SHRP A-003A surrogate equation for flexural testing, the Shell model, and the Asphalt Institute model. The critical tensile strains for the fatigue calculations using the models investigated were determined using linear elastic theory. Ranges of moduli for the pavement layers were determined from extensive material testing, and 24 moduli combinations were made. The effect of pavement type, changes in moduli, and the HVS loading conditions on the tensile strain and fatigue life predictions between the models is discussed. Reasons for differences between predicted fatigue lives and their implications are also discussed. Predicted fatigue life is compared with actual performance under HVS loading for the drained pavement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 557-566
Author(s):  
Zexin Ma ◽  
Liping Liu ◽  
Yu Yuan ◽  
Lijun Sun

The purpose of this study was to estimate the total fatigue life for in-service asphalt mixture fatigue with in situ accelerated pavement testing (APT) and laboratory four-point bending beam tests. On a selected expressway in Shanghai, China, a series of full-scale APT tests were conducted. During the APT tests, a portable seismic property analyzer was used to monitor the pavement deterioration through modulus reduction. An equivalent factor between the APT loading and equivalent single axle loads (ESALs) was estimated. Additionally, asphalt concrete slabs were cut from the APT test sections and then transferred to the laboratory for four-point bending beam fatigue tests. A new fatigue equation was proposed for the in-service asphalt mixtures. Furthermore, a shift factor between the laboratory fatigue life and field ESAL was recommended. Finally, the field total fatigue life of the in-service asphalt mixture was estimated based on all the work in this study.


Author(s):  
Bingye Han ◽  
Pawel Polaczyk ◽  
Hongren Gong ◽  
Rong Ma ◽  
Yuetan Ma ◽  
...  

This study presents an accelerated pavement testing (APT) to evaluate the reinforcement effect of geogrids in flexible pavements. A full-scale conventional three-layer flexible pavement structure was constructed, and was divided into one unreinforced section and two reinforced sections with base reinforced by geogrids placed at different depth of base course. The testing program was divided into three parts: performance testing, response testing, and forensic evaluations. The performance testing recorded the development of surface permanent deformation with the number of loadings. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) was employed to investigate deflections and moduli of flexible pavements in the response testing. The excavation of pavements was to further analyze reinforcement mechanisms. Test results demonstrated the benefits of incorporating geogrids in base course in reducing the permanent deformation and improving the modulus of base course. Compared with the unreinforced section, accumulated permanent deformations in the two reinforced sections decreased significantly, with a drop of 13%–37%, and the back-calculated moduli of the reinforced base increased by 58%–78% after APT. It was possible that sufficient permanent deformation was needed for mobilizing geogrids to constrain lateral movements of granular particles, to increase the overall structural behavior of the reinforced base course, and to improve the stress distribution on the subgrade. These interaction mechanisms were also confirmed in the pavement trench. For a pavement system consisting of a thin surface and base layer, the proper placement position of geogrids was at the base–subgrade interface for this test and loading arrangement.


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