This article reports a study from the Danish Road Institute to examine whether it would be possible to replace plate loading equipment with a falling weight deflectometer (FWD), or a portable FWD, to measure the bearing capacity of unbound materials in the construction phase of a road. Portable FWDs offer simple and cheap measurements which can be performed in locations which can not be reached easily with a vehicle. A single section of road was used to test the equipment. The E-modulus was determined and compared. There was good correlation between the plate loading equipment and the FWD but one of the portable FWDs gave lower values. It was decided that portable FWDs should not be used on granular base courses but could be used on subgrade and sub-base materials.
Abstract