PAVEMENT EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SEASONAL AND TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENT MODELS USING SEISMIC PAVEMENT ANALYZER

Changes in material properties of pavement layers with temperature and seasonal climate variations significantly affect the pavement response. The AASHTO design guide requires that seasonal and temperature corrections be taken into consideration. Since the AASHTO adjustment models were developed based on data collected in Illinois, most of the states initiated studies that would take in consideration state specific conditions. New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) initiated a study with the same objective. Twenty-four flexible, rigid and composite pavement sections, throughout New Jersey, have been instrumented. The sites have been instrumented for the purpose of continuous monitoring of temperature, frost-thaw, moisture, ground water table and environmental changes (air temperature and rainfall). Simultaneously, a two-year field evaluation using Falling weight Deflectometer (FWD) and Seismic Pavement Analyzer (SPA) is in progress. FWD and SPA testing is being conducted on a monthly basis, except during the spring-thaw period that is on a bi-monthly basis. So far 16 testing cycles have been completed. In addition, samples recovered in the field were taken for a detailed laboratory evaluation. This paper presents an overview of the study with an emphasis on the use of applied geophysical methods, in this case seismic techniques, in the development of the seasonal and temperature adjustment models. Typical pavement instrumentation, collected data, and their preliminary correlations with SPA data are presented