Multiple axle loadings: Shape parameters and their effect on the fatigue life of asphalt mixtures

Abstract

The effect of multiple axle loads on the fatigue life of asphalt pavements is a key issue dealing with the effect of heavy trucks on pavement distresses. Equivalent Single Axle loads are currently calculated with simplified hypotheses. This is an important stake for the ecological transportation: increasing the load per truck results in decreasing the emission of toxic gases per ton of transported goods. To study the effect of multiple axles, real displacement signals in the pavement are needed. The LCPC's accelerated testing facility (Nantes, France) enables the measurement of real loading signals in an experimental pavement. Parameters describing the pavement strain curves were computed for this database. A factorial analysis gives four independent parameters that define an experimental plan of a campaign of fatigue tests whose aim is to identify how the fatigue life is affected by the shape parameters. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.