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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
 |
| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-051 Date: December 2018 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-051 Date: December 2018 |
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The movement of superheavy loads (SHLs) on the Nation’s highways is an increasingly common, vital economic necessity for many important industries, such as chemical, oil, electrical, and defense. Many superheavy components are extremely large and heavy (gross vehicle weights in excess of a few million pounds), and they often require specialized trailers and hauling units. At times, SHL vehicles have been assembled to suit the load being transported, and therefore, the axle configurations have not been standard or consistent. Accommodating SHL movements without undue damage to highway infrastructure requires the determination of whether the pavement is structurally adequate to sustain the SHL movement and protect any underground utilities. Such determination involves analyzing the likelihood of instantaneous or rapid load-induced shear failure of the pavement structure.
The goal of this project was to develop a comprehensive analysis process for evaluating SHL movement on flexible pavements. As part of this project, a comprehensive mechanistic-based analysis approach consisting of several analysis procedures was developed for flexible pavement structures and documented in a 10-volume series of Federal Highway Administration reports—a final report and 9 appendices.(1–9) This report is Analysis Procedures for Evaluating Superheavy Load Movement on Flexible Pavements, Volume Ⅲ: Appendix B, Superheavy Load Configurations and Nucleus of Analysis Vehicle, and it details the approach developed to identify a segment of the SHL configuration that can be regarded as representative of the entire vehicle. Pavement responses under the entire SHL configuration can then be estimated by superimposing stresses calculated under the proposed element, eliminating the need to model the entire vehicle. This report is intended for use by highway agency pavement engineers responsible for assessing the structural adequacy of pavements in the proposed route and identifying mitigation strategies, where warranted, in support of the agency’s response to SHL-movement permit requests.
Cheryl Allen Richter, P.E., Ph.D.
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development
Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
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Technical Report Documentation Page
| 1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-18-051 |
2. Government Accession No.
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3 Recipient's Catalog No.
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| 4. Title and Subtitle
Analysis Procedures for Evaluating Superheavy Load Movement on Flexible Pavements, Volume III: Appendix B, Superheavy Load Configurations and Nucleus of Analysis Vehicle |
5. Report Date
December 2018 |
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| 6. Performing Organization Code
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| 7. Author(s)
Mohamed Nimeri (ORCID: 0000-0002-3328-4367), Hadi Nabizadeh (ORCID: 0000-0001-8215-1299), Elie Y. Hajj (ORCID: 0000-0001-8568-6360), Raj V. Siddharthan (ORCID: 0000-0002-3847-7934), and Sherif Elfass (ORCID: 0000-0003-3401-6513) |
8. Performing Organization Report No.
WRSC-UNR-201710-01B |
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| 9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
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| 11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-13-C-00014 |
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| 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
U.S. Department of Transportation |
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Report; August 2013–July 2018 |
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| 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
HRDI-20 |
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| 15. Supplementary Notes
Nadarajah Sivaneswaran (HRDI-20; ORCID: 0000-0003-0287-664X), Office of Infrastructure Research and Development, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, served as the Contracting Officer’s Representative. |
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| 16. Abstract
The movement of superheavy loads (SHLs) has become more common over the years since it is a vital necessity for many important industries, such as chemical, oil, electrical, and defense. SHL hauling units are much larger in size and weight compared to standard trucks. SHL gross vehicle weights may be in excess of a few million pounds, so they often require specialized trailers and components with nonstandard spacing between the tires and axles. Accommodating SHL movement requires the determination of whether the pavement is structurally adequate and involves the analysis of the likelihood of instantaneous or rapid load-induced shear failure. As part of this Federal Highway Administration project, Analysis Procedures for Evaluating Superheavy Load Movement on Flexible Pavements, a procedure was developed to identify a segment (or element) of the SHL configuration that can be regarded as representative of the entire SHL vehicle. This element is referred to as the nucleus. The vertical stress distribution (or any other pavement response) under the entire SHL configuration can then be estimated by superimposing the stresses calculated under the nucleus, eliminating the need to model the entire SHL vehicle. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the procedure’s accuracy and sensitivity to different pavement structures, SHL cases, and pavement analysis temperatures. Procedures for handling uniform axle and tire spacing of SHL vehicles as well as special SHL cases were also considered. |
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| 17. Key Words
Load nucleus, flexible pavement, superheavy load, pavement analysis, permits, axle group |
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161. |
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| 19. Security Classification (of this report) Unclassified |
20. Security Classification (of this page) Unclassified |
21. No. of Pages
90 |
22. Price
N/A |
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| Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) | Reproduction of completed page authorized |
