Instrumentation for Monitoring Pavement Performance in Cold Regions

Abstract

The mechanistic–empirical (ME) design guide developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program represents a true change in the approach to engineering road structures. Changes in material properties with seasonal variations in moisture and temperature condition, which influence the mechanical response of the materials and hence the structural response of road layers, forced reliance on empirical measures to predict performance. These empirical functions will require calibration to ensure the prediction model is responsive to local conditions including adopted construction practice. The performance of pavements in cold regions clearly reveal the need to properly measure the distribution of stresses, strains, moisture, and thermal regimes, within road layers over a period of time. This paper presents the design, implementation, and use of a practical road instrumentation monitoring system capable of capturing all structural and environmental data for roadways. This proposed road installation scheme is simple yet effective in generating data that could be used to calibrate a host of design M-E and visco-elastic models including the new AASHTO design guide. Details include selection of sensors, data acquisition systems, data processing techniques, and some actual data.