Study of the Bearing Capacity of Swiss Standard Pavements Under MLS10 Loading

Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) is an efficient testing procedure to evaluate the performance of different pavement concepts. With APT, it is possible to determine and measure the structural response and pavement performance under a controlled, accelerated accumulation of load damage that simulate the long-term in-service condition, but in a compressed period of time. The repeatability of the loads applied permits making accurate predictions about the bearing capacity and lifespan of the pavement under study. It also allows making comparative assessments of potential long term performance of any type of pavements. This paper summarizes the results of a series of initial tests carried out on pavements with similar structure but different stiffnesses designed following Swiss standards. Each pavement was loaded with the Mobile Load Simulator MLS10 until reaching its bearing capacity limit. The aim of these tests was to use the results as a benchmark to compare it to other non-standard structures with similar stiffness in terms of dimensioning and/or materials. It was found that the pavements’ life-spans were basically longer to the ones anticipated by the standards. This difference was larger for the pavements with lower stiffness. Further, as expected, the distress mechanisms were similar for all the pavements considered.