Impact of Pavement Thickness on Load Response of Perpetual Pavement

This thesis studies the performance of perpetual pavement structures constructed by the Ohio Department of Transportation.The pavement responses, collected from sensors installed in three separate perpetual pavement test sections on U.S. Route 23 in Delaware, Ohio during controlled vehicle load testing, were the main analysis for the study.To complement the pavement responses, a software analysis of the test sections was performed using PerRoad.The main pavement responses measured by test section instrumentation were strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer as well as in the base layer of the asphalt structure, subgrade pressure, pavement deflection, and subgrade deflection.Pavement responses were compared with fatigue endurance thresholds in order to evaluate the longevity of the pavement test sections.Additionally, the influences of several variables, including axle configuration, speed, and tire pressure, were analyzed to further understand their effects on pavement responses.Although controlled vehicle load testing was conducted during periods of colder temperatures, it was discovered that all of the pavement responses analyzed for the three sections were less than their respective fatigue endurance thresholds.Additionally, speed and axle configuration had a significant influence on the pavement responses.As testing speeds were increased the pavement responses decreased in magnitude.Furthermore, testing utilizing a tandem axle truck with dual tires produced reduced pavement responses in comparison with