Reducing Damage to Low-Volume Roads by Using Trucks with Reduced Tire Pressures

Heavy-volume highways in seasonal frost areas are designed to resist the effects of spring thaw. However, timber access roads, county roads, and other low-volume roads with thin bituminous surfaces can be quite susceptible to pavement damage during midwinter- and spring-thaw periods. To reduce damage to low-volume roads, towns, cities, and states typically either post reductions in allowable load or completely prohibit hauling during damage-susceptible periods. Associated economic impact can be significant. To evaluate the effects of tire pressure on cumulative road damage, a mechanistic pavement design procedure developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use in seasonal frost areas was used on a matrix of tire pressures, low-volume pavement cross sections, and environmental conditions. A series of computer simulations showed ( a) trucks operating with conventional tire pressures can cause excessive damage, particularly in the form of cracking, to low-volume roads with thin bituminous surfaces during relatively short thaw periods; ( b) pavement damage could be reduced substantially by restricting hauling to trucks operating with reduced tire pressures; and ( c) there are “threshold” tire pressures under which only minimal damage occurs, even during critical spring thaw. These results could influence guidelines for hauling restrictions and, in turn, associated economics.