Continuous bearing capacity profile of 18,000 km Australian road network in five months

The road authorities in New South Wales and Queensland have applied the Danish traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) to test 18,000 km road network in the two states. The TSD of the Danish Road Directorate is a measuring device, which scans the network bearing capacity at traffic speeds up to 80 kilometres per hour and in that way it provides measurements without traffic disruption. Prior to network measurements of the 18,000 km of major roads, a 2-week trial was conducted to compare the TSD to the traditional testing methods using the falling weight deflectometer and deflectograph. Results from the trial were used to relate the new TSD measurements to the existing slower systems for assessing stiffness of pavements. The paper will present details of the comparative trials, and then focus on the outcomes of the network tests and the application of results for pavement maintenance planning. The paper will provide examples on TSD results from typical road structures in New South Wales and Queensland. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E220164.