Efficient Wheel-Tracking Test and Recommendations Based on Specimen Shape

Several methods can be used to evaluate the permanent deformation of asphalt pavements, including laboratory tests (such as triaxial compression and wheel-tracking tests) and field experiments (such as accelerated pavement testing and real road driving tests). In this study, specimens compacted with a gyratory compactor were directly subjected to wheel-tracking tests without cutting or further processing, and the results were compared with those of conventional rectangular wheel-tracking specimens. The measured permanent deformation was, on average, 3.5% greater than that of the rectangular specimens. This discrepancy was corrected using an exponential function that considered the specimen shape and wheel-tracking test conditions. The corrected permanent deformation values closely matched the results for the rectangular specimens, and the derived dynamic stability values were similar. By correcting the measured permanent deformation and dynamic stability based on the specimen shape, results equivalent to those of conventional wheel-tracking tests can be obtained, even when using specimens directly from gyratory compaction without further processing. This suggests that such an approach can serve as an alternative testing method and alleviate some of the challenges associated with specimen preparation.