Evaluation of Equipment, Methods, and Pavement Design Implications for Texas Conditions of the AASHTO 2002 Axle Load Spectra Traffic Methodology: Literature Review and Level 1 Data

Details

• Creators:
  Wang, Feng ; 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 Literature Reviews Mechanistic-empirical Pavement Design Traffic Data Weigh In Motion
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-06/0-4510-2
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Texas
• Edition:
  September 2002-August 2003
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  The use of actual axle load distributions instead of summary statistics, such as equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs), in the forthcoming Mechanistic-Empirical (M-E) Pavement Design Guide will allow the assessment of the consequences of specific loading configurations on pavement performance. For example, the damaging effects of increased axle loads on specific pavement structures, increased tire pressure, or different axle configurations could be assessed. It is expected that the new M-E Guide will significantly influence future pavement design practices in the United States and abroad. The successful application of the new M-E Design Guide will require more detailed traffic data and will place an increased demand on weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems in Texas and probably other states in the U.S. Texas is now evaluating the transition from the current empirical AASHTO Pavement Design Guide (AASHTO’93) to the new M-E Design Guide. In order to assist the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in determining the measures that should be taken to increase traffic data collection capability in Texas so as to meet the data requirements set by the M-E Design Guide, a review of state-of-the-art WIM technologies in the U.S. with particular emphasis on WIM performance, economy, and calibration, together with an assessment of the potential trends in vehicle weights and dimensions are integral parts of this research. This interim report presents the findings of the literature review with particular emphasis on: (i) current regulations and trends on weights, lengths, and widths of commercial vehicles; and (ii) a review of state-of-the-art WIM technology. The report is complemented with a summary of the available WIM data in Texas to support Level 1 design in the M-E Design Guide.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-4510
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c758f37a725bbf0a990126aed15dc2f591fd73e0186ccdbfa54139cedeee6cda90e7ff98ce042c56a83dca21524f5660803f620130c264f54ae88768ddee7a4e
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/87966/dot_87966_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB ]