Abstract
In the present study, a new approach to the installation of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in three asphalt pavement layers (the surface layer and both base layers) was implemented for the first time in Belgium. Fiber Bragg grating sensors (FBGs) are diagnostic tools that accurately and efficiently monitor in situ structural behavior. However, nowadays, this technology is not commonly used in asphalt due to its application restrictions under installation and service conditions. FBGs are fragile and break easily under loading. Therefore, there is a need for suitable protection of FBG sensors if they are to be installed during the rough construction process and exposed to heavy-duty loading afterwards. The main objective of the present study is to show the FBG results only for the initial construction process, and, if successful, to continue studying this FBG monitoring system and to plan the next research step by adjusting the system for its application in heavy-duty pavements. Two approaches to FBG installation in three asphalt layers (placed at the bottom of each layer) were tested in the present study: (1) installation of FBGs in prefabricated asphalt specimens in the base layer, directly on the base, and (2) installation of FBGs on the surface of the previously constructed asphalt layer. Both innovative approaches allow the implementation of FBGs without sawing the whole layer into two parts. The obtained results proved a survival rate of 100% for the FBGs. It can be concluded that these new described methods of FBG installation—using a cross-section configuration to carry out strain measurements in two directions (transverse and longitudinal)—can be applied for the monitoring of heavy-duty pavements, while providing the possibility to further re-evaluate current pavement design methods used in Flanders (Belgium).
Highlights
Pavement design must be continuously improved to produce solutions that are less disruptive to the environment, and must be economical and of a higher quality, considering current traffic loading
Considering that the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) monitoring system was installed in the bicycle path within the CyPaTs project (September 2017) for the first time in Belgium, the aim of the present study is to show the FBGs results only for the initial construction process, and, if successful, to continue studying this FBG monitoring system and to plan the research step by adjusting the system for its application in heavy-duty pavements
The results obtained during the initial pavement construction process showed that the FBGs are a feasible technology to monitor strain progression during asphalt layer construction
Summary
Pavement design must be continuously improved to produce solutions that are less disruptive to the environment, and must be economical and of a higher quality, considering current traffic loading. A considerable number of researchers have put emphasis on: (1) understanding the aging process of road pavements, (2) developing solutions to decrease or eliminate cracks and structural deformations due to traffic and climatic fatigue [1], (3) analyzing rutting performance, and (4) predicting road behavior to ensure highway and urban roads have a longer service life. Conventional asphalt heavy-duty pavement road structures were not designed for the load spectra used nowadays and, deteriorate much faster compared to the designed service life. With the increasing traffic on flexible roads, rutting has become one of the most significant problems for road pavements, especially in urban areas due to the channelized traffic and overload, and on heavy-loaded asphalt pavements
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