Title: Comparison between Laboratory Investigation and Non-Destructive Testing Methods for Mechanistic Characterization of Asphalt Pavement
Abstract: Two approaches to determine layer modulus and layer thickness of asphalt concrete (AC) pavement were compared. The first method by laboratory testing of cored samples and the second method was by non-destructive testing (NDT) in the field. Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) were used for the on-site pavement testing. Statistical experimental design was used in planning and selecting pavement sections to achieve the representative sample of the pavements and to rule out possible bias of the data sources. Three back-calculation software systems – ELMOD, EVERCALC and MODULUS – were used to calculate the layer moduli of pavement structures. Cored samples from the exact sites of the NDT tests were analyzed in the laboratory under several temperatures, load levels and frequencies. Statistical methods were employed to derive correlations between layer thicknesses and moduli from NDT to those from laboratory tests. The results show that there is a good agreement exists between the GPR thicknesses and core thicknesses. The core thickness at a given point can be predicted from GPR values with reasonable accuracy provided a few cores are used to calibrate the GPR values. By introducing the corrected layer thickness in the back-calculation process, the study obtained very good relationship between the back-calculated asphalt concrete modulus and laboratory tested dynamic modulus. The study therefore demonstrates that by carefully combining GPR and FWD testing, the evaluation of pavement modulus can be significantly improved and the reliance of pavement coring can be minimized.
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 4
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