Fatigue damage caused by superload vehicles in concrete pavements

Abstract

Superload vehicles (SLs) are typically defined as vehicles having a gross vehicle weight (GVW) greater than 890 kN. SLs often consist of unique axle configurations that may cause significant damage to pavements. Research has been mainly limited to SLs on asphalt pavements, therefore the effect of SLs on concrete pavements is not well established. In this study, fatigue stresses in concrete pavements were quantified for a database of pavement structures and SLs to identify critical conditions that contribute to fatigue damage. A series of load pulses were constructed from a database of finite element results to identify conditions and locations within the slab for peak stress development. Tensile stress greatest in thin pavements with a stiff base layer and large positive temperature gradients subjected to tandem axle SLs. Fatigue damage was calculated for the critical cases using several damage models, and significant variation was found between models based on inputs used.