Investigation of the Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) as a Network Level Pavement Structural Evaluation Tool

About the project:

VDOT’s pavement management system uses windshield survey to assess the condition of approximately 25,000 lane-miles of interstate and primary roadways. This method depends on personal interpretation and does not measure the structural capacity of a pavement.  To overcome this, a system for assessing the pavement structure on a network-wide basis was developed Applied Research Associates (ARA) with support of the Federal Highway Administration.  The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) system measures the deflection in response to one-half of an 18-kip single axle load traveling at normal highway speeds.  The trailer contains lasers that measure and compare the distance to the deflected and unloaded pavement surface.  The RWD technology can provide deflection profiles for approximately 300 lane-miles per day and the load, loading mechanism, and loading rate of the RWD more closely matches the actual dynamic effects on pavements caused by heavy truck loading.

Project Team

Principal Investigators

Co-Principal Investigators