EFFECT OF SINGLE – TANDEM – TRIDEM

AXLE ON THE LIFE OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT

SINGLE TANDEM TRIDEM

BY
P.G.SURVE

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 PURPOSE OF ANALYSIS

THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS ANALYSIS IS

TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS
ARRANGEMENT OF AXLE
CONFIGURATIONS THAT ARE PROVIDED IN
THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE AND IT’S
EFFECT ON THE STRUCTURAL LIFE OF
PAVEMENTS.

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 AID FOR DESIGN ANALYSIS

THE ANALYSIS WAS CARRIED OUT BY

USING LINEAR ELASTIC FINITE ELEMENT
METHOD WITH THE HELP OF “KENPAVE
SOFTWARE” TO FIND OUT STRUCTURAL
LIFE OF PAVEMENT.

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 SELECTION OF TYPICAL PAVEMENT SECTION

1. CBR OF SOIL SUBGRADE =5%

2. CUMULATIVE DESIGN TRAFFIC = 150 Msa

BASED ON ABOVE, A CRUST SECTION AS PER

IRC:37-2001 WAS ADOPTED FOR ANALYSIS.
1. BITUMINOUS CONCRETE (BC) = 50MM
2. DENSE BITUMINOUS CONC.(DBM) = 170MM
3. WET-MIX MACADAM (WMM) = 250MM
4. GRANULAR SUB-BASE (GSB) = 300MM
5. SOIL SUBGRADE (SG) = 500MM
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 DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR AASHTO 1993

1. A PAVEMENT WAS CONSIDERED AS A 3-

LAYERED ELASTIC MODEL.
2. SINGLE AXLE LOAD = 80 KN OR 18 KIPS
WHEEL LOAD = 20 KN OR 4.5 KIPS
3. TYRE PRESSURE = 5.6 Kg/cm2 OR
=80 psi
4. TYRE CONTACT RADIUS = 107MM OR 4.23IN.
5. C/c WHEEL DISTANCE = 310MM OR 12.4IN.
6. C/c AXLE DISTANCE = 1200MM OR 48IN.
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 CALCULATION OF MODULUS OF RESIELENCE
AS PER IRC:37-2001

1. MODULUS OF ASPHALT LAYER @ 35°c, E1 =

1695 Mpa OR 241000 psi.
2. MODULUS OF SUBGRADE, E2 = 5% CBR X 10
= 50 Mpa OR 7105 psi.
3. COMBINED MODULUS OF WMM AND GSB, E3
= E2 X 0.20 X (THK.OF WMM+GSB)^0.45
= 171 Mpa OR 24300 psi.

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SELECTION OF POISSON RATIO FOR VARIOUS
PAVEMENT LAYERS AS PER IRC:37-2001

1. ASPHALT LAYERS = 0.50 (FOR TEMP.

BETWEEN 35°C TO 40°C).
2. WMM AND GSB LAYERS = 0.40
3. SUBGRADE LAYER = 0.40

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EQUATION USED TO FIND OUT FATIGUE LIFE

A FATIGUE EQUATION MENTIONED IN

ANNEXURE-1, PAGE 52 OF IRC:37-2001 WAS
UTILIZED TO FIND OUT THE NUMBER OF
CUMULATVE AXLE LOADS Nf THAT WOULD
PRODUCE PERMISSIBLE CRACKING
RESTRICTED TO 20% OF SURFACE AREA.
Nf = 2.21 X 10^-4 X εt^(-3.89) X E1^(-0.854)
WHERE εt IS A PERMISSIBLE STRAIN FOR
20% CRACKED SURFACE.
AND E1 IS A MODULUS OF ASPHALT LAYER.
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 DATA PROCESSING IN SOFTWARE
• 1ST TRIAL – CALCULATIONS WERE
PERFORMED ONLY FOR SINGLE AXLE.
• 2ND TRIAL – CALCULATIONS WERE
PERFORMED FOR TANDEM AXLE SPACED @
1200MM OR 48IN APART AND STRAINS WERE
NOTED AT 18 POINTS.
• 3RD TRIAL – CALCULATIONS WERE
PERFORMED FOR TRIDEM AXLE SPACED @
1200MM OR 48IN APART AND STRAINS WERE
NOTED AT 18 POINTS.
NOTE: STRAINS WERE RECORDED AT THE
SURFACE AND BOTTOM FIBRE OF ASPHALT
LAYER UNDER WHEEL & C/c OF WHEELS.
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 RESULTS
FOLLOWING MICRO-STRAINS WERE OBTAINED
ON DATA PROCESSING.
• SINGLE AXLE, εt = 1.763E-04
• TANDEM AXLE, εt = 1.83E-04
• TRIDEM AXLE, εt = 2.09E-04
PUTTING THESE VALUES IN FATIGUE
EQUATION, WE GET FATIGUE LIFE AS –
• SINGLE AXLE, Nf = 154.44 MILLIONS.
• TANDEM AXLE, Nf = 133.58 MILLIONS.
• TRIDEM AXLE, Nf = 79.67 MILLIONS.
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 CONCLUSIONS
THE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE AXLE
CONFIGURATION GREATLY INFLUENCES THE
FATIGUE LIFE OF PAVEMENT CAUSING EARLY
STRUCTURAL FAILURE.
THE LIFE REDUCTION COMPARED TO SINGLE
AXLE IS AS UNDER –
• TANDEM AXLE = (154.44-133.58)X100/154.44
= 13.50%
• TRIDEM AXLE = (154.44-79.67)X100/154.44
= 48.40%
NOTE: TO AVOID THIS EFFECT, IRC HAS A
PROVISION OF VEHICLE DAMAGE FACTOR
WHICH TAKES INTO ACCOUNT VARIOUS AXLE
CONFIGURATION AND CONVERTS THEM INTO
SINGLE STANDARD AXLE OF 80KN LOAD.
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THANX FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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