Design, construction and operation of a prototype to measure load in a flexible pavement structure

Abstract

This paper presents the design and construction of a prototype able to measure weigh-in-motion on a flexible pavement structure, through the vibrations generated when vehicles move on these road structures. The physical principle is simple: when a vehicle is moving across the pavement road surface, it creates vibrations that can be noticed in areas adjacent to the analyzed highway and the amplitudes of these vibrations can provide information on the magnitude of the vehicle load. Additionally, the paper reports the results of a field study performed in order to calibrate a mathematical equation which simulates the vibration signals obtained by the prototype when vehicles move across the road surface. As a general conclusion, the prototype is able to predict the load that is moving on the pavement, through the vibrations that they induce when transiting on its surface.