Equivalent damage of loads on pavements

Abstract

This report describes a new methodology for the determination of Equivalent Damage Factors (EDFs) of vehicles with multiple axle and wheel configurations on pavements. The basic premise of this new procedure is that "equivalent pavement response implies equivalent pavement damage". An analysis of currently used methods in South Africa and an overview of existing procedures, both locally and internationally, made evident the lack of a suitable technique capable of assessing the determination of equivalent factors for multiple axle and wheel configuration. This study covers this necessity by extending the applicability of the South African Mechanistic Design Method to the determination of equivalency factors. The method is based on locally obtained pavement damage laws (transfer functions) and might also help in the determination of permissible load for wheel and axle configurations different than the standard.