Over the years, more and more highway agencies have used accelerated pavement testing (APT) as a means of evaluating potential construction materials, pavement designs, and other pavement-related features. Of primary concern in APT is the application of a significant traffic volume in a reasonable length of time and at an acceptable cost to produce measurable deterioration. APT is generally defined as the application ofwheel loads to specially constructed or in-service pavements to determine pavement response and performance under a controlled and accelerated accumulation of damage in a short period of time. The research being reported is concerned with APT in which full-scale wheel loads are applied to full pavement structures by machines or vehicles in a test facility, at a test track, or on an in-service pavement. pavement. APT facilities have several advantages over in-service pavements: • APT facilities provide a safer environment for the researchers and the traveling public (tests on in-service highways often involve safety hazards). • Tests can be conducted more quickly and in a more controlled manner. • The number of wheel load applications can be controlled accurately, and loads can be positioned at desired locations. • Different factors can be evaluated simultaneously. This research was conducted to (1) identify and develop definitions of data elements associated with APT and (2) recommend guidelines for data collection, storage, and retrieval. Pertinent national and international literature was reviewed to determine the state-of-the-practice in APT, with emphasis on APT facilities located in the United States. A questionnaire was then sent to APT facilities in the United States to gather information on facility administration, APT machine loading characteristics, pavement test programs, material characterization, environmental and climatic data, instrumentation installed, pavement response to load, pavement performance, construction and postmortem testing, and data documentation and storage. The survey showed that state departments of transportation operate six APT facilities, universities operate five, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates two, the Federal Highway Administration operates one, and a private firm operates one. The survey was followed by visits to most of the APT facilities to supplement the collected information. The literature review results, the survey data, and information gathered during APTfacility visits were used to identify and define data elements. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_512.pdf
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