MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF A FULL SCALE EXPERIMENTAL PAVEMENT . THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BEARING CAPACITY OF ROADS AND AIRFIELDS. PROCEEDINGS, NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, TRONDHEIM, NORWAY, JULY 3-5 1990. VOLUMES 1-2

This paper summarises some results from a research project at the University of Nottingham, England, which used a private haul road under construction as a full-scale experimental pavement. 16 experimental pavement sections were constructed, which were designed to allow direct comparisons of their performance while being used by 22 trucks; the sections were designed for an 8-year life or 16-year life under the design loading conditions. The two typical roadbase materials used were gap-graded hot-rolled asphalt and a continuously graded dense bitumen macadam. Geosynthetics were installed in some of the sections; most of them were geogrids to act as reinforcement, but one section had a geotextile below the sub-base to act as a drainage separator. Detailed instrumentation (including strain coils, strip gauges, pressure cells and thermocouples) was installed in four sections, to enable critical stresses and strains to be monitored during traffic flow and pore water pressures in the subgrade to be monitored. Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) surveys were also performed. The authors conclude that: (1) the experimental pavement should provide useful data on the long term performance of pavement sections; (2) the FWD can be used to monitor the long-term performance of pavements by enabling effective stiffness changes to be determined. (TRRL)