Monday, 1 October 2018
Austroads has published the last of a series of annual summary reports associated with the long‑term pavement performance (LTPP) project, which was established in 1994–95.
This long-running project will end later in 2018 after 23 years of the monitoring of the structural and functional performance of a range of in-service pavements, including sealed granular, asphalt and concrete pavements.
This report summarises the work undertaken in 2017–18. The remaining final deliverables, including a final report and a webinar, will complete the project.
Data collected from all LTPP and LTPPM sites is stored in a single database, which is updated and uploaded onto the LTPP website annually.
The LTPP database can be downloaded free of charge from the website as part of the project’s technology transfer and dissemination policy. Many researchers, university students, consultants and contractors have visited the site as part of their professional and academic project work.
During the 23 years of monitoring, the LTPP and LTPPM data has been used in part, or as a whole, in several studies, including:
- The development of rutting and roughness progression factors, based on ALF data collected during studies of the impact of various surface treatments, and the calibration of the World Bank’s HDM‑4 road deterioration (RD) models for rutting and roughness under Australian conditions.
- The development of interim works effects (WE) models for a wide range of surface treatments.
- A comparison between the performance of LTPP asphalt pavements with the US-SHRP LTPP sites.
- The development of interim network-level functional (rutting, cracking and roughness) and structural RD models for flexible pavements in combination with ALF data collected during trials on the impact of various surface maintenance treatments and the impact of increased axle loading. These RD and WE models were installed in the pavement management systems (PMS) used by the NSW and Victorian road agencies.
- The development of a probabilistic RD model using a decision tool software tool, @Risk.
- A new probabilistic modelling approach using a data condensation technique known as stochastic information packets (SIP) was trialled in a proof-of-concept study to explore the possibility of adopting this approach in a PMS.
- The development of RD models (cracking, rutting and roughness) during the rapid deterioration phase to quantify the impact of deferred maintenance intervention on pavement surface condition.
Report link: Austroads LTPP/LTPPM Study - Final Summary Report 2017-18