Cracked Asphalt Pavement Behaviour Under Thermal and Load Cycles – Laboratory Investigation Using Accelerated Loading System

Although the mechanism of thermal cracking and the factors affecting the occurrence of this type of cracks are already well documented, the influence of this phenomenon on the structural capacity and the freezing behavior of the roadway near the cracks, as well as the consequence for the pavement of these localized effects is still poorly documented. The objective of the project is to improve the state of knowledge on the effects of cracking on pavement performance and to develop effective approaches for the mitigation of this degradation. Therefore, a pavement structure was built in the experimental pit of Laval University. The structure is composed of a reference section and a section in which an idealized crack has been created. These two sections are dynamically loaded using the Accelerated Transportation Loading System (ATLAS). Mechanical response of the pavement structure has been monitored via various strain and stress sensors, with particular interest for the area around the crack. A quantitative comparison of the two sections shows how the presence of a crack affects the different strain and stress levels measured around the idealized crack area. Results also show the pavement structure’s behavior under different temperature and saturation conditions.