DOI: 10.11648/j.ajce.20261404.14 ISSN: 2330-8737

Design of Semi-rigid Pavements for Super-heavy Load Movements: Review and Evaluation of Critical Design Parameters

Boon Chua, Kali Nepal
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This study examines the effects of super-heavy (SHL) vehicles on semi-rigid flexible pavements using various pavement design methodologies. At present, no standardised framework exists for the design of semi-rigid flexible pavements subjected to SHL movements. Current practice commonly relies on performance models originally developed for conventional heavy vehicles; however, the applicability of these models to SHL conditions remains questionable and may result in significant underestimation of pavement damage. In this study, critical pavement responses are simulated mechanistically using the commercially available Mechanistic-Empirical pavement design software HIPAVE, following a benchmarking process against the FAARFIELD program. A hybrid set of pavement materials failure criteria is incorporated into the HIPAVE to simulate pavement responses under SHL operations. The simulation results obtained from HIPAVE show good agreement with those generated by FAARFIELD, demonstrating a reliability of the adopted modelling approach. Furthermore, a novel approach based on the concept of a representative SHL nucleus is proposed to characterise super-heavy loading configurations, enabling efficient assessment of pavement impacts while significantly reducing computational time. The findings from the literature review and numerical analyses indicate that further research is required to establish unified design guidelines and long-term field monitoring including the development of a simplified design chart or nomograph for semi-rigid flexible pavements subjected to SHL movements.

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