Characterization of dynamic response of asphalt pavement in dry and saturated conditions using the full-scale accelerated loading test

Abstract Asphalt pavement exhibits different dynamic responses to vehicle loading in saturated conditions and in dry conditions. It is essential to directly conduct field full-scale tests to systematically investigate comprehensive influence of water on dynamic response of asphalt pavement. However, real vehicles which were often applied in field tests might result in a certain deviation in dynamic responses measured from each field loading test due to the inevitable influence of the driver’s subjective operation and the tread pattern on vehicle wheel. This study adopted the full-scale accelerated loading test system to comprehensively characterize dynamic response of asphalt pavement in both dry and saturated conditions based on the strict control of loading vehicle’s path. The results indicated that dynamic responses showed relatively larger magnitudes in saturated condition than those in dry condition. Strain and stress respectively showed slowly increasing and decreasing trends with the increase of vehicle load and speed correspondingly. Pore water pressure was apparently sensitive to vehicle speed compared with vehicle load. Pore water pressure generated by the front axle wheels showed obviously larger magnitudes than those produced by the rear axle wheels due to the change in thickness of surface runoff. The transverse distribution of pore water pressure obtained from both field tests and numerical simulation exhibited consistent variation trends. Decline degree of pore water pressure magnitudes was obtained at 86.1% for the two adjacent testing points with a distance of 100 mm under the vehicle wheel, which proved the great influence of the tread pattern of vehicle wheel on the transverse distribution of dynamic pore water pressure. A prediction model of positive pore water pressure that considered vehicle load and speed was proposed.