BOX 13-A
Measuring Vehicle Loadings
Planning
agencies design roadways to have a specific lifespan based on the expected
volume and weight of vehicle traffic. Traffic streams are composed of a variety
of vehicles of different weights and axle configurations. Therefore, loading
measurements are based on equivalent single-axle loads that are the damage to a
pavement caused by a vehicle axle relative to an 18,000 pound force, which
represents a standard axle. This unit may be used to calculate the cumulative damage
caused to a roadway by an expected traffic stream.
Source
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Guide for Design of Pavement
Structures (Washington, DC: 1993), p. I-10 and appendix D.
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