Significant Findings from Full-scale Accelerated Pavement Testing

Book excerpt: "TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 433: Significant Findings from Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing documents and summarizes significant findings from the various experimental activities associated with full-scale accelerated pavement testing (f-sAPT) programs that have taken place between 2000 and 2011. The report also identifies gaps in knowledge related to f-sAPT and where future research may be needed. NCHRP Synthesis 433 is designed to expand the f-sAPT base of knowledge documented in NCHRP Syntheses 325 and 235, both with the same title of Significant Findings from Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing. f-sAPT is the controlled application of a wheel loading, at or above the appropriate legal load limit, to a pavement system to determine pavement response in a compressed time period. The acceleration of damage is achieved by one or more of the following factors: increased repetitions, modified loading conditions, imposed climatic conditions, and thinner pavements with a decreased structural capacity which have shorter design lives"--