| Abstract [eng] |
The marked increase of heavy weight vehicle traffic in Lithuania in recent years is the reason for early deterioration of majority road pavements of the country due to inadequate strength of road pavements. Various kinds of damages in asphalt concrete pavements indicate that damage is made not only to a pavement but to its construction as well, which increases costs for road repair and maintenance and reduces road safety and comfort. There is no methodology in Lithuania that would allow to evaluate the impact of heavy weight vehicles on a road pavement with adequate preciseness. This study analyses the impact of damaging effect of heavy weight vehicle traffic on the strength and duration of service life of asphalt concrete layers in a road pavement taking account of climate conditions of Lithuania. A methodology to evaluate the damaging effect of heavy weight vehicle traffic and loads on road pavements in Lithuania depending on seasonal peculiarities of traffic, its strength, remaining strength resource of asphalt concrete layers and changes in stressed or deformed state of a road pavement is presented. A model of remaining strength of asphalt concrete layers in a road pavement and remaining resource of service life was proposed. The model evaluates load parameters and intensity of its impact, composition of vehicle flow, design characteristics of materials in layers of a road pavement and materials used when strengthening it, changes in the strength of layer material in a road pavement taking account of level of its deterioration, work of a road pavement in the presence of various climate conditions in a location, different soils in a ground embankment and hydrothermal regimes of a particular place, price of work and economic effect when strengthening the pavement. The proposed model allows to calculate rational inter-repair periods for service life of asphalt concrete layers in a road pavement, to determine the rational thickness of a layer designed to strengthen it and to suggest a strategy for strengthening a road pavement with minimum costs. By means of a particular example the impact of seasonal peculiarities of heavy weight vehicle traffic and strength of a road pavement on permissible traffic intensity of design load during a year in the presence of Lithuania’s conditions was determined. |
