ACCELERATED PAVEMENT TESTING FACILITY HEAVY VEHICLE SIMULATOR(HVS) RESEARCH PROGRAM An Overview for the delegates of 70th Annual

Session of IRC, Patna, 2009

WHAT IS APTF
The controlled application of a prototype wheel loading, at or above the appropriate legal load limit to a prototype or actual, layered, structural pavement system to determine pavement

response and performance

under a controlled, accelerated accumulation of damage in a compressed time period

WHY APTF IS REQUIRED ??

Current pavement design methods

are based on laboratory characterisation, field investigations, computer simulations etc. To substantiate, use is made of a full scale Long Term Pavement

Performance (LTPP) study under

trafficking and modeling

APTF bridging the gap between Lab Designs & LTPP

WHAT APTF CAN DO ??

NEED FOR APTF

Increasing road transportation demand Phenomenal rise in vehicle population accompanied by heavy axle loads and correspondingly higher tyre pressures Grossly inadequate structural capacity & stage construction practices Scarce funds for M & R for road pavements

Nation loses over Rs.15,000 crores/year on account of excess VOCs due to poor road conditions
Heavy capital investments are needed to maintain the road network at a desired serviceability level in order to minimize total transportation costs

Lack of experience in designing pavements for heavy-duty traffic corridors, policies/ strategies for their upkeep & rehabilitation & materials/ specifications

NEED FOR APTF..... Contd.

Most cost effective/ optimal solutions for development & maintenance of roads demands the use of proven new materials & specifications, technologies and practices Evaluation of on-road test tracks under normal traffic has inherent shortcoming because of the longer time needed to obtain the results, affecting the quality and usefulness of such data because of rapid changes taking place in technology over time

Complete life-cycle evaluation is done in just 3-6 months time with APTF as compared to 10 to 15 years required under normal traffic, thereby allowing results to be used immediately. Advanced facilities are being widely used since early eighties in the UK, USA, South Africa, France, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Holland and China for accelerated load testing of pavements

ADVANTAGES OF APTF
Advance information on pavement performance Evaluation of New designs, specifications, mixes and materials Studies for anticipated traffic conditions Greater control over uniformity and quality of construction because of small size of test sections Control over environmental factors such as pavement temperature and subgrade moisture Simulated field conditions Economical and ready to use technical solutions Substantial savings with improvements in pavement design procedures and maintenance practices

Well targeted pavement research programme can be undertaken

Knowledge gained from APTF affects decision of road authorities Determination of magnitude and timing of asset establishment and preservation costs

Applications of HVS/APTF

Background of Indian APTF

The need for establishing a national facility for accelerated pavement testing was first identified and discussed by IRC-HRB Committee in 1990- 91 through a Base paper on Test Track Research in India prepared by CRRI

The IRC- HRBs Identification, Monitoring & Research Applications (IMRA) Committee considered the proposal brought out in the base paper and efforts were started

Objectives of Creating APTF Facility Establishment of Centralised National Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility (APTF) To generate data similar to Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Studies and to develop pavement deterioration models for flexible and rigid pavements for typical pavement structures

CRRIs HVS

Features of Standard Mark IV+

Feature
Mobility

Capability
Towable over long distances; self-propelled over short distances

Load Application
Wheel Loads Test Wheel (s) Tyre Pressure

Static & Dynamic Load Applications

Mean Load : 36 - 88 kN ; Peak Load : 30 - 105.6 kN Single, Super-single, Dual (truck) or Aircraft (Airbus 4616) Typically 560-690 kPa on roads ; Upto 1450 kPa on airfields

Repetitions Per Day

Trafficked Length Trafficked Width

Upto 32000 (Bi-directionally) ; Upto 16000 (Unidirectionally)

8m (test area length 6m) Upto 1.5 m, depending on wheel configuration

Trafficking Pattern Variable

Typical HVS Load Levels

Major Priority Areas of Research for India

Performance Various Pavement Specifications Impact heavy vehicles on pavements (axle load, tyre type and pressure) Evaluation non-standard materials Processes (insitu stabilisation, emulsions, by-products, recycled materials, reflection crack retarders etc.) Maintenance efficacy of treatments, intervention strategies Low volume roads surface treatments Construction quality, effect of mechanisation

Proposed Immediate Study

Construction of a Test Strip within CRRI Specifications conforming to MoRT&H Verify the Design Life as envisaged Attempt to rationalise IRC design method