A Simple Model to Estimate the Increase in Pavement Life Due to the Traffic Wander for Application in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of traffic wander on road pavement life for application in connected and autonomous vehicles. Research shows that in autonomous vehicles, drivers often follow the same path, leading to significant pavement damage on specific, well-defined paths. The paper examined the impact of traffic wander on pavement life by analysing two different wander distributions: normal and uniform. Based on the estimated pavement life for various pavement structures, a model that predicts the increase in pavement life due to traffic wander was developed for cracking and rutting prediction. The result of the research is the determination of relative pavement life influence functions, in which the variables are the traffic wander, asphalt layer thickness and subgrade stiffness. The obtained equations can be easily implemented for pavement service life extension evaluation. The model was also used to estimate the asphalt layer thickness as a function of the traffic expressed in terms of Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESALs). An analysis of the implications of the lateral distribution of traffic on the pavement thickness was presented. Significant reductions in the asphalt layer thickness of the pavement are achieved when wander is considered.