Dual tires have traditionally been used to limit pavement damage by efficiently distributing loads over a large contact area. However, in recent years the trucking industry has promoted the use of wide-base single tires stating economical and safety benefits. The Super Single tire, an early type of wide-base tire, proved inadequate and induced excessive pavement damage. In contrast, the new generation wide-base tires have contact areas that approach those of dual tires and offer the potential for improved performance. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) investigated the pavement damage potential of four tire types including a conventional dualtire (11R22.5), a Super Single (425/65R22.5), and two newly-designed wide-base single tires (445/50R22.5 and 455/55R22.5, respectively). A controlled accelerated pavement testing program in addition to theoretical modeling was performed to determine critical pavement response parameters. The investigation revealed the 455-mm wide-base tire performed as well as the dual tire. In comparison, the 445-mm wide-base tire did not perform as well while the Super Single induced the most damage to the pavement. This paper presents a description of the test program, the data collection efforts,and the subsequent analysis and findings.
Abstract