Pavement Load Studies

The Accelerated Pavement Load Facility (APLF) at Ohio University in Lancaster is operated by the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE). This unique facility provides the capability of applying repeated rolling wheel loads of up to 30,000 lb (133 kN) across a 45 ft (13.7 m) long by 38 ft (11.6 m) wide by 8 ft (2.44 m) deep concrete-lined test pit where full-scale asphalt concrete (AC) and Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement sections can be tested between temperatures of +10°F (-12°C) and +130°F (44°C). Water can be added to the base and subgrade through pipes located in the bottom of the pit. Large access doors on both ends of the facility permit the entrance of large equipment to construct the pavement sections and devices such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer to measure deflection responses.

Applications tested at the APLF include a study of Perpetual Pavement sections at various thicknesses with surface courses of different formulations of Warm Mix Asphalt or Highly Modified Asphalt and a study of the performance of PCC sections under controlled environmental conditions.