Evaluation of Equipment, Methods, and Pavement Design Implications of the AASHTO 2002 Axle Load Spectra Traffic Methodology

Details

• Creators:
  Hong, Feng ; Prozzi, Jorge A.
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Texas at Austin. Center for Transportation Research
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas Department of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Axle Loads Mechanistic-empirical Pavement Design Traffic Data Weigh In Motion
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-06/0-4510-1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Texas
• Edition:
  Technical (Interim) Report 4510-1 September 2002-August 2003
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Traffic volume influences the geometric requirements of a highway; however, it is only the axle loads of heavy commercial traffic that affect the structural design of pavements. Mechanistic-based pavement design approaches, coupled with faster computers, are changing the way in which traffic loads are accounted for in pavement design. In the M-E Design Guide for the Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures, traffic loading will be accounted for by using axle load spectra. Axle load spectra consist of the histograms of axle load distribution for each of four axle types: single, tandem, tridem, and quad. Currently, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) does not have adequate regional representation of weigh data and uses a statewide average to generate load data for most highways, a practice that is inconsistent with the proposed M-E design approach. This research project will assess and evaluate the implications of the axle load spectra approach proposed by the M-E Design Guide and develop guidelines and recommendations that will facilitate the transition from current practice to the application of the new proposed methodology. The evaluation of current equipment and methodology for traffic data collection and data management will be addressed during the first part of the research project. With these findings in hand, guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of the M-E Design Guide will be developed. Finally, implications for the structural design of pavement will be determined. This interim report presents the findings of the initial literature review, a description of traffic data requirements for the M-E Design Guide for the Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures, and a preliminary sensitivity analysis conducted under typical Texas environmental conditions.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-4510
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78854a94ff68a24449f0bc8e05fd51a3bc82f1331b9ae0c7e4d87ef5b32db7a2d779f633c8ad631305ee6bf0ed7bbddc337c5306d2d23b918a2692d7a6285a01
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/87965/dot_87965_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.94 MB ]