Truck Traffic Characteristics for Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Pavement Design: Evidences, Sensitivities, and Implications

This paper addressed issues on traffic characteristics for the mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide, including weigh-in-motion (WIM) data sampling, traffic input levels, traffic count accuracy, and operational speed. This paper also examined the effects of these issues on pavement performance evaluation. Weigh-in-motion data collected in three random months are statistically sound and can provide traffic inputs with a satisfactory accuracy. At different input levels, vehicle class distributions have effects on rutting and cracking, but no effect on roughness. Axle load distributions have significant effects on the International Roughness Index (IRI), rutting, and cracking. The average number of axles per truck has no effect on pavement distresses. Monthly adjustment factors have some effects on rutting and alligator cracking, but no effects on IRI. Hourly distribution factors have no effect on pavement distresses. Axle load distributions have greater effect on pavement distresses than truck traffic distributions over time. The accuracy of truck count has effect on pavement distresses, except for IRI. As operational speeds increase, pavement distresses decrease. However, IRI is not sensitive to operational speeds. Finally, a summary of the sensitivities of pavement distresses to truck characteristics is provided to facilitate state highway agencies to modify their traffic monitoring programs for mechanistic-empirical pavement design.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Li, Shuo
  • Jiang, Yi
  • Zhu, Karen Qin
  • Nantung, Tommy E
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2007-1-21 to 2007-1-25
• Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 21p
• Monograph Title: TRB 86th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Axle load force; Cracking; Flexible pavements; Pavement cracking; Pavement design; Pavement distress; Pavement performance; Pavements; Rutting; Traffic counting; Truck traffic; Weigh in motion
• Identifier Terms: International Roughness Index; Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01044008
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 07-0101
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 15 2007 6:42AM