PAVEMENT TESTING FACILITY - PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE INITIAL TWO TEST SECTIONS. FINAL REPORT

This report documents the pavement performance of two test sections at FHWA's Pavement Testing Facility. The traffic loading of the test asphalt concrete pavements was achieved by using the Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF). Field performance data consisting of longitudinal profile, rutting, cracking, and deflection were collected at the facility. Pavement temperature, moisture content, and environmental data were also collected. Various performance indicators were compared with regard to the number of wheel passes and 18-kip-equivalent single axle loads. In situ strain measurements were compared with calculated strain values. At the conclusion of each field test, the pavement section was opened, and a postmortem analysis was conducted. This analysis included a profile of each pavement layer and material sampling. The results of the postmortem analysis were compared with the performance indicators to explain the pavement failure. For these two initial tests, there was no general failure in any of the materials used in the tested pavement sections. The air voids in the asphalt concrete layers after construction were smaller than might be expected. This, coupled with the dense grading of both the wearing and binder layer and the tendency for rutting to be accentuated in accelerated testing, was expected to cause atypical rutting during trafficking. However, this was not the case. The rutting that was observed is typical of normally loaded highway pavements.