Text

theses

ETD graduate

Pavements are used in roads, bridges, parking lots, runways, and driveways to provide a smooth surface with adequate coefficient of friction for quick and efficient transportation. Pavement deterioration occurs due to overuse of the pavement materials, traffic loading, weather uncertainties, surface distresses and other environmental factors. It is essential to maintain and enhance the durability of the pavement structure to increase its service life. Flexible and rigid pavements are the two types which are commonly used. Several mixture types, materials and preservation treatments are used to increase the strength and durability of pavement. Since pavement construction and maintenance is a thriving industry, there are several testing methods and software which are used to record pavement performance and find new ways to make it cost-effective and sustainable.

Pavement surface deflections measurement is one of the methods which is used to determine the bearing capacity of the pavement. Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) is one of the most commonly used devices to measure surface deflections and is considered effective to backcalculate the pavement layer moduli. However, one of the disadvantages of using FWD is that it is a stationary measuring device which leads to traffic disruptions while collecting the data. TSD is newly developed device which measures the surface deflections at traffic speed. In order to incorporate TSD deflections into pavement management systems (PMS), it is essential to compare it with FWD to check whether TSD is reliable. In this study, methods like Multiple Regression Analysis, Limit of Agreement (LOA), Backcalculation of layer moduli using BAKFAA software and Correlation of surface deflections with surface distress were performed for both the devices. Lastly, it was evident that there needs to be significant increase in the amount of research studies and experiments before TSD can replace FWD and can be fully implemented in the pavement management systems.

In addition to surface deflection, tire - pavement noise method is another way of determining pavement performance. In this study further analyses were performed on tire-pavement noise for flexible pavements like Dense Graded Asphalt, Stone Mastic Asphalt, and Open Graded Friction Course using On-Board Sound Intensity (OBSI) method. The factors like temperature, aging of pavement, surface distresses and pavement preservation techniques were analyzed to determine their effects on the tire-pavement noise. In conclusion, it was observed that the Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) was quietest pavement.

ETD_11452

M.S.

Includes bibliographical references

doi:10.7282/t3-q2hx-ds44

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