Assessing Spring Load Restrictions Using Climate Change and Mechanistic-Empirical Distress Models

Nearly 58% of the Manitoba Provincial pavement network is subjected to spring load restrictions, and most of these roads consist of a thin flexible pavement or an asphalt surface treatment. This paper relates pavement deflection data from FWD testing to environmental indices such as the thaw index. Deflection data collected since 1990 on pavement sections and the LTPP site in Manitoba are used to establish network-level and statistically representative values for pavement properties during the thaw weakening and recovery period. The base and subgrade moduli during spring thaw are computed using a back-calculation algorithm and categorized in terms of ranges of the thaw index. The data is used with the prediction models of the AASHTO Mechanistic Empirical Design Guide to assess the impact of spring load restrictions on pavement service life. Five scenarios are considered and these accounted for base conditions on an unrestricted road and for the cases of reducing axle loads, with and without an increase in the number of trips, required to transport a certain payload.

• Record URL:
  http://conf.tac-atc.ca/english/resourcecentre/readingroom/conference/conf2008/english/table_of_contents.htm
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)

  401-1111 Prince of Wales Drive
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada 
• Authors:
  • CROWDER, J
  • Shalaby, A
  • Van Cauwenberghe, R
  • Clayton, A
• Conference:
  • 2008 Annual Conference of the Transportation Association of Canada
  • Location: Toronto , Canada
  • Date: 2008-9-21 to 2008-9-24
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Pagination: 11 p.
• Monograph Title: 2008 Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada - Transportation: A Key to a Sustainable Future

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Life cycle analysis; Pavements; Psychological adaptation; Spring; Thaw; Traffic restraint; Weather
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01117211
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: TAC
• Created Date: Dec 29 2008 12:30PM