Evaluating the Light Falling Weight Deflectometer Device for in Situ Measurement of Elastic Modulus of Pavement Layers

Author(s):  
Munir D. Nazzal ◽  
Murad Y. Abu-Farsakh ◽  
Khalid Alshibli ◽  
Louay Mohammad
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Meng ◽  
Luke Frash ◽  
James Carey ◽  
Wenfeng Li ◽  
Nathan Welch ◽  
...  

Abstract Accurate characterization of oilwell cement mechanical properties is a prerequisite for maintaining long-term wellbore integrity. The drawback of the most widely used technique is unable to measure the mechanical property under in situ curing environment. We developed a high pressure and high temperature vessel that can hydrate cement under downhole conditions and directly measure its elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio at any interested time point without cooling or depressurization. The equipment has been validated by using water and a reasonable bulk modulus of 2.37 GPa was captured. Neat Class G cement was hydrated in this equipment for seven days under axial stress of 40 MPa, and an in situ measurement in the elastic range shows elastic modulus of 37.3 GPa and Poisson's ratio of 0.15. After that, the specimen was taken out from the vessel, and setted up in the triaxial compression platform. Under a similar confining pressure condition, elastic modulus was 23.6 GPa and Possion's ratio was 0.26. We also measured the properties of cement with the same batch of the slurry but cured under ambient conditions. The elastic modulus was 1.63 GPa, and Poisson's ratio was 0.085. Therefore, we found that the curing condition is significant to cement mechanical property, and the traditional cooling or depressurization method could provide mechanical properties that were quite different (50% difference) from the in situ measurement.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Izzi Md. Yusoff ◽  
Sentot Hardwiyono ◽  
Norfarah Nadia Ismail ◽  
Mohd Raihan Taha ◽  
Sri Atmaja P. Rosyidi ◽  
...  

In pavement management systems, deflection basin tests, such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer test, are common techniques that are widely used, while the surface wave test, i.e. the Spectral Analysis of Surface Wave test, is recently employed as an alternative technique in pavement evaluation and monitoring. In this paper, the performance of both dynamic non-destructive tests on pavement subgrade investigation is presented. Surface wave propagation between a set of receivers was transformed into the frequency domain using the Fast Fourier Transform technique and subsequently a phase spectrum was produced to measure the time lag between receivers. Using the phase difference method, an experimental dispersion curve was generated. Inversion analysis based on the 3-D stiffness matrix method was then performed to produce a shear wave velocity profile. The elastic modulus of pavement layers was calculated based on linear elastic theory. In the Falling Weight Deflectometer test, seven geophones were used to collect in situ deflection data. Based on a back-calculation procedure with the ELMOD software, the elastic modulus of each flexible pavement layer can be obtained. Both techniques are able to comprehensively investigate the elastic modulus of the subgrade layer in existing pavement non-destructively. The elastic modulus between the Spectral Analysis of Surface Wave method and the Falling Weight Deflectometer test on the subgrade layer is observed to be in a good agreement. A correlation of the elastic modulus of thesubgrade layer from both techniques is also presented.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Kavussi ◽  
Shahaboddin Yasrobi

Portable Falling Weight Deflectometer (PFWD) that can be considered as simple equipment is mainly used to measure elastic moduli of pavement unbound layers. This paper evaluates the potential use of PFWD to reliably measure the elastic modulus of pavement layers. To achieve this, PFWD tests were conducted on highway sections selected from different projects in Tehran. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) laboratory tests were also conducted on samples collected during field tests. PFWD testing parameters were varied while performing the field testing. These included drop weight, drop height, plate diameter and position of additional geophones. In addition, PFWD moduli were compared with those obtained from performing FWD testing on the same site. It was found that drop mass and loading plate size affect PFWD modulus significantly. In addition, the results indicated that good correlation exist between PFWD moduli and FWD and CBR results. Santrauka Nešiojamasis krintančio svorio deflektometras PFWD (angl. portable falling weight deflectometer) yra nesudetingas prietaisas, dažniausiai naudojamas kelio dangu nesurištu sluoksniu tamprumo moduliui nustatyti. Straipsnyje apžvelgta, kaip PFWD naudojamas kelio dangu sluoksniu tamprumo moduliams matuoti. Taikant PFWD išbandyti skirtinguose projektuose Teherane (Iranas) panaudoti kelio dangu skerspjūviai. Bandiniams papildomai atlikti Kalifornijos santykinio atsparumo rodiklio CBR (angl. California bearing ratio) nustatymo eksperimentiniai tyrimai. Atliekant lauko tyrimus naudoti skirtingi PFWD bandymu parametrai: krintantis svoris, kritimo aukštis, plokštes skersmuo ir papildomai išdestyti geofonai. PFWD nustatyti tamprumo moduliai palyginti su tamprumo moduliais, išmatuotais naudojant krintančio svorio deflektometra FWD (angl. falling weight deflectometer). Nustatyta, kad PFWD matavimu rezultatams didele itaka turi kritimo mase ir apkrovimo plokštes matmenys. Gauti eksperimentiniu tyrimu rezultatai parode, kad PFWD, FWD ir CBR matavimai gerai koreliuoja tarpusavyje.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 661-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader SOLATIFAR ◽  
Amir KAVUSSI ◽  
Mojtaba ABBASGHORBANI ◽  
Henrikas SIVILEVIČIUS

This paper presents a simple method to determine dynamic modulus master curve of asphalt layers by con­ducting Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) for use in mechanistic-empirical rehabilitation. Ten new and rehabilitated in-service asphalt pavements with different physical characteristics were selected in Khuzestan and Kerman provinces in south of Iran. FWD testing was conducted on these pavements and core samples were taken. Witczak prediction model was used to predict dynamic modulus master curves from mix volumetric properties as well as the bitumen viscosity characteristics. Adjustments were made using FWD results and the in-situ dynamic modulus master curves were ob­tained. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed method, the results were compared with those obtained by us­ing the developed procedure of the state-of-the-practice, Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). Re­sults showed the proposed method has several advantages over MEPDG including: (1) simplicity in directly constructing in-situ dynamic modulus master curve; (2) developing in-situ master curve in the same trend with the main predicted one; (3) covering the large differences between in-situ and predicted master curve in high frequencies; and (4) the value obtained for the in-situ dynamic modulus is the same as the value measured by the FWD for a corresponding frequency.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Pavana Vennapusa ◽  
David Joshua White

There are plenty of in situ tests available to examine pavement foundation performance regarding stiffness and support conditions. This study evaluates several in situ tests of the stiffness and support conditions of concrete pavement foundation layers. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the outputs from Dynamic Cone Penetrometer tests and Falling Weight Deflectometer tests. The California Bearing Ratio from Dynamic Cone Penetrometer tests and the deflection data from Falling Weight Deflectometer tests were correlated to the design parameter – modulus of subgrade reaction k through correlations employed in pavement design manuals. Three methods for obtaining the k values were conducted, with the intent to evaluate which method provides the results most similar to the target value and whether the studied correlations are reliable. The back-calculated k values from Falling Weight Deflectometer deflections and the weak layer California Bearing Ratio correlated k values based on the Portland Cement Association method were close to the target value, while the California Bearing Ratio empirically correlated k based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials method presented values significantly higher than the target value. Those previously reported correlations were likely to overestimate the k values based on subgrade California Bearing Ratio values.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1849 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo W. Flintsch ◽  
Imad L. Al-Qadi ◽  
Youngjin Park ◽  
Thomas L. Brandon ◽  
Alexander Appea

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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