RESEARCH ON THE DEPENDENCE OF ASPHALT PAVEMENT STIFFNESS UPON THE TEMPERATURE OF PAVEMENT LAYERS

The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) is the device most commonly used for the measurement of strength of road pavement structure. Using this device the impact of the wheel of heavy vehicle to the pavement is imitated for the assessment of pavement strength. The stiffness of asphalt pavement layers, as well as E-0 modulus values, measured using the FWD, strongly depend on the pavement temperature. When we use deflectometer for measuring asphalt pavement strength at different environmental conditions and in different season the values of E-0 modulus should be reduced to the assumed standard temperature. During this research at the experimental asphalt pavement structure the temperature correction factor was revised. The use of this factor enables to reduce the values of the stiffness of asphalt pavement layers measured by the falling weight deflectometer to the standard temperature of +20 degrees C. In this way the influence of the temperature of asphalt pavement layers upon asphalt stiffness and E-0 modulus could be evaluated.