The effects of heavy vehicle single, tandem and tri-axles on sprayed seal wear in Australia

Freight efficient vehicles today introduce significantly more tandem, triaxle axle and quad axle group loadings to pavement surfacings. However, the effects of differing axle groupings and axle loadings has never been thoroughly considered in sprayed seal design, because these effects had not been isolated and studied. A model has now been develop to predict surface texture deterioration based on the effect of axle groupings and loadings. This generalised model could contribute to a refinement of sprayed seal design, specifically in the category of heavy vehicle seal design. The results may be used to improve the consideration of abnormal traffic affects in seal design of mine haul roads, or national freight routes.