Monday, 23 January 2023
Austroads has published a series of four technical reports that have updated the current Austroads Road Deterioration Models. The reports use long-term datasets on pavement performance, accelerated loading facility (ALF) experimental data on the impact of surface maintenance and axle loads on pavement performance, and recently available traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) data to improve the explanatory capacity of the organisation’s current models.
The reports focus on four distress measures of road deterioration: rutting, roughness, cracking and deflection. They are the first of their kind since Austroads last published road deterioration models in 2010 and provide road agencies and industry with new and updated models, delivering additional information sourced from an improved quality, scope and coverage of data.
“These reports address issues important to all road agencies and industry,” said Austroads project manager, Ross Guppy.
The reports’ approach to updating the former road deterioration models include a literature review, presentation of modelling concepts, workshops and ongoing consultation with the project working group.
The issues associated with deterioration are “consistent and damaging,” said Ross. “The new reports offer updated guidance on how best to manage deterioration in the current changing climate.”
The reports will help road agencies and industry predict future road conditions and better establish maintenance needs. The data assembled covered the wider loading and climate conditions observed in Australia providing more accurate information that reflects current deterioration patterns in the country.
“The last reports released on road deterioration were over ten years ago. They were based on datasets collected from the early 1990s to 2007. The climate has changed since then and with this change has come new challenges to road maintenance.”
Download
Austroads Road Deterioration Model Update: Deflection
Austroads Road Deterioration Model Update: Cracking
Austroads Road Deterioration Model Update: Roughness
Austroads Road Deterioration Model Update: Rutting
Join us for a webinar for an overview of the development of the four road deterioration models on Tuesday 7 March 2023 with Dr Tim Martin, Ranita Sen and Tyrone Toole.
Can't make the live session? Register and we'll send you a link of the recording.