ABSTRACT

The traditional practice for pavement structural capacity evaluation is mostly dependent on the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) measurements. However, this practice has several challenges due to its stationary nature. Recently, a Rolling Weight Deflectometer (RWD), capable of measuring the pavement deflections at regular traffic speeds, has been introduced into the market. This research aims to develop a finite element (FE) model simulating pavement structural response under the moving RWD loads. This model could be further utilised for accurately estimating pavement layers mechanical characteristics. The model was successfully validated utilising the RAPTOR (a commercially available RWD) data collected on the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track. A good correlation between the simulated and the measured values was found – yielding an average root mean square percentage error (RMSPE) of approximately 2.40% between the RAPTOR and the FE deflections.

摘要

路面结构承载力评估的传统做法主要依赖于落锤弯沉仪 (FWD) 测量。然而，由于其固定性质，这种做法有几个挑战。最近，一种能够在正常交通速度下测量路面挠度的滚动重量挠度计 (RWD) 已被引入市场。本研究旨在开发一种有限元 (FE) 模型，用于模拟移动 RWD 载荷下路面结构的响应。该模型可进一步用于准确估计路面层的力学特性。利用在国家沥青技术中心 (NCAT) 测试跑道上收集的 RAPTOR（一种商用 RWD）数据成功验证了该模型。