Wheel Wander at the NCAT Test Track

The objectives of this study were: (1) devise a means of accurately measuring the lateral placement of wheel loads; (2) characterize the wheel wander pattern at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track; and (3) assess the effect of wheel placement on measured pavement response. A lateral positioning system, consisting of three axle-sensing strips, was assembled and installed at the NCAT Test Track. Calibration studies were conducted to verify the measurements, and five hours of live traffic data were collected and analyzed. This report documents the system, installation procedures, governing equations, calibration procedures, calibration results and results of the live testing.