Title: The spatial repeatability of dynamic pavement loads caused by heavy goods vehicles

Authors: L. Gyenes, C.G.B. Mitchell

Addresses: Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Old Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG11 6AU, UK. ' Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Old Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG11 6AU, UK

Abstract: For some time it has been suspected that the higher-than-average dynamic loads imposed on roads by heavy vehicles cluster at particular positions along a road. This paper presents experimental evidence on the degree of clustering that occurs and indicates the extent to which this increases road wear. The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has measured dynamic pavement loads for a variety of vehicles, suspension types and speeds on three sections of the TRL research track. These applied loads have been summed for typically 50-100 different axle passes and the total and mean applied loads at each station along the track calculated. Load concentration points do occur at which the mean load is at least 5% greater than the static load. One section of public road has been instrumented with eight weigh-in-motion sensors at 2.7 metre intervals in each wheel track. These have been used to measure the local loads applied by over 2000 HGV axles. The preliminary analysis of these results suggests that average loads vary by 20% along the instrumented section, and that the pattern of load concentration points has been stable over a five month period.

Keywords: dynamic pavement loads; experimental observations; load concentration points; road wear; spatial repeatability; heavy vehicles; weigh-in-motion; road surfaces.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.1994.054525

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 1994 Vol.1 No.2, pp.156 - 169

Published online: 18 Jun 2013 *

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