FULL-SCALE PAVEMENT TEST FOR INVESTIGATIONS OF EFFECTS OF LOAD, WATER AND TEMPERATURE ON PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE . 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 presents some results of a project at the National Road Laboratory, Denmark, to investigate the effects of load, water and temperature on pavement performance. The full-scale test pavement was built in a concrete test pit 25 m long, 2 m deep and 2.5 m wide. Traffic loads were applied by a single or dual wheel configuration, running loaded in both directions, at speeds up to 30 kph. The test pavement had a traditional road construction for light traffic and used six layers of sandy subgrade. The following instruments were used to monitor relevant parameters: (1) standpipes; (2) tensiometers; (3) thermometers; (4) soil pressure cells; (5) soil deformation transducers; (6) asphalt strain gauges. The design parameters, strain and stress, were measured by in-situ gauges in the road testing machine. The test programme applied various loads for various ground water levels, usually at 10 degrees Centigrade, the average soil temperature in Denmark. Measurements were taken of: (1) rut depth; (2) permanent basecourse deformation; (3) stress and strain; (4) transverse stress distribution; (5) water related results. The E-values in the basecourse decreased to 80%, when the unbound layers were saturated by simulating rain infiltration through the unpaved shoulder. (TRRL)