Development of Guidelines for Posting Load Limits on Pavements

摘要

The purpose of the research was to develop rational guidelines for the posting of load limits. To evaluate the effect of axle loads under a variety of conditions, a theoretical analysis was conducted that considered various load magnitudes and configurations for different pavement thicknesses and material properties. It was found that axle configuration (i.e., single, tandem, and triple axle assemblies) did not significantly affect pavement response, provided that the load per tire remained the same. Following the analysis of axle loads, a performance model was developed that uses deflection measurements from either the Road Rater or the Falling Weight Deflectometer to predict pavement performance for a given level of traffic.