Heavy load traffic is the main cause of the pavement deterioration. In the last years, the Road and Bridge Research Institute has made some research with the aim to evaluate the heavy load traffic influence on the pavement durability. Various features such as air and steel suspensions or single and double wheel had been analysed. The data collected in the vehicle weight control station and the analysis results allowed to estimate the new equivalent axle load factors, reflecting the current Polish traffic structure. The paper presents the equivalent axle load factor estimation method according to the following algorithm: - Collecting the real data from vehicle weight control station, - Considering the influence of the dynamic load on the real pressure made by vehicle wheels on pavement, - Considering the specificity of the impact of single and double wheels on the pavement structure, - Calculating the equivalent axle load factors of the weighted vehicles, - Establishing the heavy vehicle movement structure, based on the measurements taken of the particular road sections, - Calculating the average aggressiveness of the heavy vehicle silhouettes – particular truck configurations, - Calculating the equivalent axle load factors. (Author/publisher)
Abstract