Use Of Falling Weight Deflectometer Multi Load Level Data For Pavement Strength Estimation

The objective of this study is to develop a mechanistic-empirical method for assessing pavement layer conditions and estimating the remaining life of flexible pavements using multi-load level Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) deflections. A dynamic finite element program, incorporating a stress-dependent soil model, was developed to generate the synthetic deflection database. Based on this synthetic database, the relationships between surface deflections and critical pavement responses, such as stresses and strains in each individual layer, have been established. A condition assessment procedure for asphalt pavements that uses multi-load level FWD deflections has been developed using these relationships. The verification study was conducted using field data.