Assessment of Pavement Life at First Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Test in Louisiana

Abstract

The first full-scale accelerated pavement testing experiment in Louisiana began in February 1996. The purpose was to evaluate the historically prevalent flexible crushed-stone and in-place soil cement-stabilized base construction in comparison with several alternative base construction materials and construction processes for pavements designed for a semitropical climate. More than 6 million equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs) were applied to nine test lanes in the three phases of the project. The full-scale loading was provided by an accelerated loading facility (ALF) machine, the second of its type in the United States. Surface deflection, longitudinal and transverse profiles, surface cracking, stresses and strains in the pavement structure, as well as environmental conditions were monitored during testing. The initial findings are presented in relation to rutting, roughness, cracking, layer modulus, and stress and strain evolution. In order to account for the localized deterioration of some lanes, a method based on statistical survival analysis theory was used to assess the pavement life. Reasonable agreement was observed between the life of the tested structures and the life predicted by the current procedure, on the basis of the 1993 pavement design guide from AASHTO, for the crushed-stone base pavements. The observed lives of the pavements with a soil cement base were shorter than the predicted lives.

Evaluation of Load-Transfer Efficiency of Steel Mesh Reinforced Contraction Joints in Concrete Pavement: Accelerated Pavement Test and FE Analysis

“…The 5-20 years of traffic loads can be carried out in 3-12 months with APT. Moreover, environmental conditions (temperature, humidity...) can be simulated and the response of the pavement in different ambient conditions can be obtained [19][20][21][22][23].…”

Evaluation of Probability Distribution Function for the Life of Pavement Structures

“…A secondary criterion was any significant change in estimated pavement layer moduli. Detailed information on the development of the project as well as on the methodology for measuring rutting is given elsewhere (1,3,4).…”

Evaluation of Long-Term Performance for Bonded Natural Stone Pavement Using Accelerated Pavement Test [Part Ⅱ: Skid Resistance, Response of Deflection and FEM Analysis]

“…To develop natural stone block pavements for heavy-duty traffic, various studies were conducted to estimate the performance of pavement constructions. Among the numerous evaluations, the empirical determinations under long-term exposure and field tests have been inquired in the promoting pavement design procedures [10][11][12][13]. For instance, full-scale accelerated pavement testing (APT) has become a positive and reasonable simulation because of its ability to determine the long-term performance of the road within a restrict time period.…”