Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing is performed on rigid pavements to assess the in-situ structural capacity of the pavement system, to evaluate the load transfer efficiency across transverse joints/cracks and to identify joints with high possibility of voids underneath the slabs. Tests are performed at different times of the day (day and night), different seasons and different temperature conditions. This data is used in the analysis to identify the network needs and prioritize these needs considering budget and performance constraints. One key issue in this process is that FWD data collected under different environmental conditions is compared and decisions are made based on the comparison results. Therefore, an effort should be made to minimize the impact of the difference in environmental conditions during FWD testing on the final analysis results. Decisions, such as repair joints having low load transfer efficiency, underseal joints with voids, or repair slabs with low structural capacity, are made based on analysis of results of FWD testing that was performed under different temperature and moisture conditions. A classic example of temperature impact on Maintenance & Rehabilitation (M&R) decision is corner curling, which may be identified mistakenly as potential void. Undersealing the joint in this case may cause more harm to the slab. Another classic example is the artificial high load transfer observed when FWD tests are performed at high ambient temperatures (>80oF). Therefore, it is essential to make sure that the difference in temperature and moisture conditions do not have a significant impact on the FWD analysis results to avoid making inaccurate decisions at the network and project levels. This paper presents an effort to account for the impact of daily temperature variation on FWD analysis results for rigid pavements. The work presented in this paper is a part of a large-scale research study sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to study the seasonal variation in pavement properties and its impact on pavement response and performance.
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