The Third Test on the Full Scale Road Test Track is being carried out at the proposal of the General Directorate of Roads of the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. After a period of test definition and preparation, the testing itself will last for the period 1998-2000.
The test will be carried out in two stages, testing six types of subgrades in each one.
The main aim is to compare the characteristics of different designs of subgrades and the definition of models applicable to each subgrade, so that the results could be generalised in order to review the pavement sections from the Pavement Code 6.1 y 2-IC.
The traditional construction technique of subgrades with soils of different qualities is tested and compared to those with geotextiles and lime and cement stabilised soil.
The tests are carried out saturating the bottom of the embankment with water, with the phreatic level 1 m below the top of the subgrade.
Each subgrade is covered by 15 cm of coated materials, so that they will all receive similar traffic loads.
Each section is monitorised and the results will allow to determine pavement characteristics and calibrate the calculation models.
A different test is carried out at the round track sections. The test consists of comparing the different techniques of discontinuous wearing courses.
For further information you can click on Full Scale Road Test Track.
The General Directorate of Roads of the Spanish Ministry of Infrastructures (Ministerio de Fomento) commissioned to the Road Research Center the preparation of a Pavement Management System. One of the first activities needed for this project was the development of a pavement inventory of the National Road Network.
A questionnaire and specific software were prepared to enable an optimum management of the information, through easy data input and use.
The data included in the inventory cover almost all the aspects needed for an efficient management of pavement maintenance. These data are:
The information gathered has been checked, harmonised and put into a Data Base for its management. From a descriptive point of view, automatic mapping software has been developed to allow the visual examination of the network pavement characteristics.
A better and deeper knowledge about pavements and their behaviour is intended, in order to allow the best possible use of resources available for pavement maintenance.
The weigh-in-motion includes a sort of techniques for the measurement of the load of the vehicles and their axles, when driving at normal speed, in conditions of non-interference with traffic.
The Road Research Center (Centro de Estudios de Carreteras), since 1987, has carried out weighing in motion of vehicles in different points of the National Road Network (see map), using surface capacitor equipments (portable mats).
The measurement of the weight is based on the variation of the electric capacity produced in the mats, that are electric capacitors, when a vehicle passes and produces a pressure over them.
Simultaneously to the data record, a visual sampling is carried out during 6 hours per day, in order to complete some characteristics of the trucks that are not possible to be obtained automatically, such as the type of truck, the tare and the maximum legal weight, or the number of wheels per axle (single or double).
Some noteworthy results about the heavy traffic in Spain are the following:
The histograms of load frecuency of each kind of axle are obtained as final result of the weighings. They are basic data for the pavement design.
The weigh-in-motion systems will probably be integrated in a near future in the census and vehicle classification networks, providing a very powerful tool for the automatic knowledge, not only of the weight of vehicles and axles, but other characteristics, such as the number of axles, length or speed, too.
For further information about the equipment you can consult Weigh-in-motion.