Assessment of flexible airfield pavements using Heavy Weight Deflectometers - Development of a FEM dynamical time-domain analysis for the backcalculation of structural properties

The Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWD) is viewed world wide as the most appropriate device to assess the bearing capacity of airport pavements.

The backcalculations are performed from the pseudo-static deflection bowls. These methods have shown limitations. Actually they use only part of available information, and the static modelling is far from the reality of the test.

The objective of the study is to develop an advanced method for the assessment of flexible pavements using HWD tests data. This work has been realized through a thesis by Michaël BROUTIN, chief of STAC program "Pavements assesment", supervised by Michel FRÉMOND, from LCPC.

Michaël BROUTIN defended his thesis on June 11th, 2010 at the LCPC in Paris.