Field performance monitoring and modeling of instrumented pavement on I-35 in McClain County.

PDFTech ReportFHWA-OK-15-02ODOT SP&R Item Number 2200Pavement performanceFailureTraffic loadsTest sectionsField testsRuttingCrackingRoughnessOklahomaOklahoma. Dept. of TransportationHossain, NurSingh, DharamveerZaman, MusharrafAlam, RidwanulRassel, S.M. ShazzadTimm, DavidAuburn University. National Center for Asphalt TechnologyUniversity of Oklahoma. College of EngineeringUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionPhase 1 of this project was conducted to better understand the cause of pavement failure underactual traffic loading and environmental conditions. A 1,000-ft. long experimental pavementsection was constructed on I-35 in McClain County and was instrumented for field datacollection. The test section was designed to fail in a relatively short period of time under heavyinterstate traffic. After approximately four years (from 2008 to 2012) of exposure to continuousinterstate traffic and environment, the test section experienced significant rutting but no fatiguecracking. Therefore, the funding agency decided to monitor the test section for two additionalyears (from 2012 to 2014) as part of Phase 2 of the project. Additionally, a need for predictingdistresses (i.e., rut, based on the site-specific data) using the Mechanistic Empirical PavementDesign Guide (MEPDG) software was expressed. In Phase 2 of this project, the quarterly fieldtesting (FWD, rut measurements, roughness measurements, and crack mapping) wasperformed on a quarterly basis. Also, the weekly downloading of traffic data and data processingwere performed to allow updating of the rut prediction models developed in Phase 1 of thisstudy. Site-specific (Level 1) input parameters for traffic, climate and materials were developedin this study. Furthermore, the rut prediction models in the MEPDG software were calibratedusing the developed input parameters and measured rut depths from the test section.Laboratory tests (Hamburg rut, four point beam fatigue, volumetric properties, etc.) wereperformed on the extracted samples from the test section. Moreover, the contribution of differentpavement layers to total rutting was assessed by a forensic investigation involving cutting full-depth trenches at three selected locations of the test sectio