Abstract

Nowadays powerful computer programs are available which can implement sophisticated mathematical models to analyze the response of a pavement structure under traffic loading. This paper describes a collection of test data from real pavements and analyses them using various numerical and analytical models to predict pavement deflections and compare against field measurements. A commercial program “KENLAYER”, which is based on multi-layer elastic systems, was used to predict pavement deflections for comparison with measurements from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) methods. Six pavement sections were modelled with KENLAYER under various wheel load repetitions. For single loads, KENLAYER deflection predictions matched FWD values at pints of load application and at 60 inches away. Discrepancies in KENLAYER predictions were judged to arise from the inability of the program to model the interaction between base and subbase layers. Comparisons with Burmister’s solutions showed both FWD and KENLAYER predictions were up to 20% higher than those obtained from analytical equations. Using back-calculated material parameters, it was found that a multi-layer theory-based program “EVERCALC” produced the most accurate deflection predictions.

Keywords: Pavements; Dynamic loading; Finite element methods; Back-analysis; Numerical modelling