Validation Technique for Heavy Vehicle Simulator Rut Measurement with Florida Laser Rut Meter

Abstract

Abstract The performance of a pavement system is typically measured in structural and functional terms. Agencies often prioritize minimizing rutting as it indicates the mixture and structural inadequacy and can lead to safety concerns such as hydroplaning. Therefore, accurate rut depth measurement is critical to pavement management as well as to assess the performance of materials designed to resist rutting. To that measure, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) uses two heavy vehicle simulators (HVSs) as part of an accelerated pavement testing (APT) program to advance pavement research and implement new pavement materials, designs, and construction methods. Each HVS device is equipped with an on-board laser profiling system for rut depth measurement. To ensure accurate and reproducible rut depth measurements, a laser-based reference device was developed and constructed by FDOT to verify rut depth measurements made by both HVS devices during APT research studies. This article describes the rut depth reference device, the verification process, and data analysis methods used to validate the accuracy of the HVS devices.