DONALD N. BROWN
Published: 1962
Total Pages: 20
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Traffic was applied to a flexible pavement test section, consisting of a well-graded limestone base course constructed on a weak clay subgrade, with 10,000-, 25,000-, and 50,000-lb singlewheel-load test carts to study the effects of mixed traffic on flexible pavements not subject to frost conditions or other conditions requiring special consideration. Deflection, deformation, density, and CBR were measured at specified intervals of test traffic. In general the test results indicated that: (a) the life of a flexible pavement may be reduced by as much as 67% when as little as 2% of the traffic results from wheel loads two and one-half times larger than the design load; (b) flexible pavements will not necessarily fail immediately when subjected to overload traffic up to five times larger than the design load; (c) the rate of failure of flexible pavements subjected to overload traffic depends upon the amount and magnitude of this traffic, total thickness of pavement structure, and the condition of the pavement and base course; and (d) current criteria for thickness design of a flexible pavement structure are conservative for light loads. (Author).