Influence of Commercial Vehicle Characteristics on the Magnitude of Dynamic Wheel Loads Over Asphalt Pavement Profiles with Different Roughness

Abstract

The magnitude of commercial vehicle wheel loads applied on the pavement plays a crucial role in pavement performance. To avoid premature failure in the asphalt pavements, an insight into the factors influencing the magnitude of wheel loads is required. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of vehicle characteristics such as speed, magnitude of payload, and distribution of payload over the loading platform of a truck on the magnitude of dynamic wheel loads. For this purpose, commercial vehicle models were simulated using TruckMaker software, and the magnitude of wheel loads generated was measured. Three vehicle classes consisting of different axle configurations were considered in this study, and their movement was simulated over the pavement profiles generated according to the guidelines of ISO 8608: 2016. Dynamic wheel loads quantified in terms of dynamic load coefficient are found to be significantly affected by the above three parameters, and the effect of these three parameters is inseparable. Due to the effect of these parameters, the commercial vehicles operating under different conditions can produce dynamic loads, which are 4–60% higher than their static loads. The average load applied by the axles of a truck on the pavement is found to be sensitive to the distribution of payload over the loading platform of the truck. The trucks when loaded to the maximum legal load limit, and only when the load is located between one-third and two-third part of the loading platform, the average load applied by all the axles is found to be within the legal axle load limit.