TESTING AND ANALYSIS OF THE TXMLS TEST PADS AT VICTORIA, TEXAS

Hundreds of Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests were conducted to characterize the material properties of the Texas Mobile Load Simulator (TxMLS) test pad under accelerated trafficking. Cores were obtained to verify pavement thickness and to determine material properties in the laboratory. In addition, FWD tests were performed on an instrumented pavement section, and pressure cell and Multi-Depth Deflectometer (MDD) data were simultaneously collected. Structural analysis of the pavement was performed by examining results from numerous sets of layer moduli. FWD deflections were used to determine layer moduli through backcalculation. Theoretical stress and strain were then computed using multi-layered elasticity based programs. The theoretical stress and strain were then compared to the measured pressure and strain. Furthermore, pavement life was computed using distress models suggested by the Asphalt Institute and then compared with the actual termination life determined in the field. The findings are presented in the paper.