Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board · 1981 · 12 citations · 2 references
EngineeringCivil EngineeringMechanical Behavior Of MaterialsPavement EngineeringStructural EngineeringHighway PavementsPavement DesignPavement GeotechnicsPavement MaterialsPavement Performance AnalysisPavement Structural AnalysisExperimental Study DesignLateral Load DistributionPavement Load DistributionPavement Response AnalysisPavement Strain AnalysisPavement Structural PerformanceTransient Stress AnalysisTransient Stress Waves
The Nottingham pavement test facility was developed for the experimental study of pavement structures under wheel loading. A description is given of its mode of operation and capabilities. It is located in a laboratory and allows pavement sections 4.8x2.4 m to be subjected to moving wheel loads up to 15 kN at contact pressures comparable with actual commercial traffic and at speeds up to 16 km/h. Electronic controls allow a lateral distribution of wheel passes while loading may be either unidirectional or bidirectional. Controlled temperature and moisture conditions can be achieved. Each pavement under test is instrumented to measure transient stress and strain. Permanent strains and surface deformations are measured at intervals during loading. Typical tests continue until 100,000 wheel passes have been applied. The main objective of the research for which the facility has been developed is the provision of data for comparison with theoretical predictions of pavement responses to load as part of an effort to produce analytically based methods of pavement design. (Author)
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