Optimized Structures for Heavy Duty Block Pavements

Abstract

To optimize the structure and thickness of block and slab pavements as well as
to test new large-format slabs an accelerated pavement test (APT) using the New Mobile
Load Simulator (MLS10) was carried out in Austria from September to October 2010. The
APT was an international cooperation with the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Material
Science and Technology, the Austrian block paving industry and the Vienna University of
Technology. The experiment included seven different types of slab and block pavements, and
some were instrumented with soil pressure cells and horizontal strain gauges in order to assess
the primary response under the moving wheel load. For the APT a wheel load of 65 kN was
applied by super single tires of the MLS10. The test speed was 22 km/h and no lateral
wandering and no application of water was used during the tests. Falling Weight
Deflectometer (FWD) measurements were taken after construction of the test sections and
after completion of loading. Deformation of the surface (rut depth) was determined
periodically. The results of the APT are used to validate the parameters for a Finite-Element
Model (FEM) specifically developed for slab and block pavements, which enables realistic
simulation of the whole superstructure, traffic loads and thermal stresses. This FEM is used to
optimize slab and block pavement design for industrial and heavy traffic areas.