Field performance monitoring and modeling of instrumented pavement on I-35 in McClain county - phase I

Abstract

Flexible pavements comprise about 93 percent of paved roads in the United States. Although flexible pavements are widely used for reasons such as cost, constructability and consistent performance, they are often subject to severe cracking and rutting. This combined laboratory and field study is conducted to better understand the mechanisms that cause pavement failure under actual traffic loading and environmental conditions. A 1,000-ft. long experimental pavement section was constructed on I-35 in McClain County and instrumented in collaboration with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) for field data collection. The test section was designed to fail in a relatively short amount of time under heavy interstate traffic. The field data collection focused on pavement response data (longitudinal and transverse strains at the bottom of the asphalt layer, Falling Weight Deflectometer testing), environmental data (temperature within the pavement), performance data (rut and cracks on the surface of the pavement) and actual traffic data (number of trucks, axles, and axle load). From the field data, fatigue and rut prediction models were developed. A separate statistical rut prediction model was also developed from the laboratory rut tests using the Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA). Additionally, from the laboratory four-point fatigue tests data, fatigue cracking susceptibility towards temperature was analyzed.