Reducing the risk of pavement failure and utilisation of local materials in New Zealand through repeated load triaxial and beam fatigue tests

Performance testing of New Zealand road aggregates both modified and unmodified has given greater confidence for the designer and client on the chosen pavement design and materials. Given that most premature pavement failures can be traced to a material fault there has been an increasing emphasis in research and commercial testing on a materials performance found under repetitive loading in the laboratory aimed to simulate vehicle loadings. In the last 3 years at least 150 repeated load triaxial tests have been conducted on a range of compliant and non compliant aggregates both modified and unmodified. This paper reports trends in results and shows how this test can result in choosing the best material for a particular pavement’s loading and environment and thus reduce the risk of pavement failure. New Zealand Transport Agency is funding a research project to undertake beam fatigue tests on large 150 x 150 x 500mm beams with the aim of determining more appropriate tensile fatigue criterion for design. Some interesting results were found and will be reported in this paper showing the fatigue lives of over a million times higher than that predicted by the Austroads Pavement Design Guide were obtained. (a) For the covering record of the conference, please refer to ITRD no. E218387.

• Corporate Authors:

  HALLMARK CONFERENCE AND EVENTS

  PO BOX 84
  HAMPTON,   Australia  3188
• Authors:
  • ARNOLD, G
• Publication Date: 2009-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 33P (DAY 1, SESSION 6)
• Monograph Title: Australian Asphalt Paving Association thirteenth international flexible pavements conference, Sunday 11th - Wednesday 14th October, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Building materials; Experimental roads; Pavements; Performance; Test procedures
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01153052
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 23 2010 9:13AM