Temperature-corrected pavement deflection measurement using embedded sensors
2026 (English) In: Transportation Research Procedia: 12th BCRRA 26 / [ed] Suzana Svetličič, Elsevier, 2026, Vol. 99, p. 639-647Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
This paper investigates the impact of pavement temperature on deflection measurements from embedded geophones and accelerometers under real-world heavy-vehicle traffic on the E16 motorway in Borlänge, Sweden. Heavy-vehicle passages were analyzed, covering a wide range of axle configurations, gross vehicle weights, speeds, and pavement temperatures from about 1 °C to more than 24 °C. Processed vibration velocity and acceleration signals were used to derive load-normalized surface deflections, which were related to near-surface pavement temperature using statistical and regression analyses. Linear and exponential temperature–deflection models were calibrated to normalize deflections to a data-driven reference temperature of +8 °C. Both models significantly reduced temperature-induced variability, with the exponential formulation providing the most reliable correction, consistent with the nonlinear stiffness–temperature behavior of asphalt concrete. Temperature-corrected deflections showed markedly improved agreement with multilayer elastic responses computed using ERAPave, with coefficients of determination up to 0.86 and normalized RMSE values near 12–17%. The results demonstrate that embedded geophones and accelerometers, when combined with appropriate temperature-normalization models, can provide accurate, traffic-speed, and year-round pavement deflection monitoring in cold and seasonally variable climates.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Elsevier, 2026. Vol. 99, p. 639-647
Series
Transportation Research Procedia, ISSN 2352-1465
Keywords [en]
Pavement deflection, Geophones, Accelerometers, Temperature correction, Cold-climate pavements, ERAPave
National Category
Infrastructure Engineering
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:vti:diva-22856 DOI: 10.1016/j.trpro.2026.07.100 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:vti-22856 DiVA, id: diva2:2098148
Conference 12th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways, and Airfields (12th BCRRA 26), Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 22-24, 2026
2026-09-032026-09-032026-10-02 Bibliographically approved