BACKGROUND: The size, geometry, weight, and other features of farm equipment, known as implements of husbandry (IoH), have increased and changed significantly to meet the needs of the modern agricultural industry. While intended primarily for use on the farm or in the field, frequently IoH travel on roads and bridges. Highway pavements are generally designed for traffic loadings and configurations defined by 13 vehicle classes using FHWA classifications. However, the configurations, weight and size, and other features of IoH differ substantially from the FHWA 13 vehicle classes and, therefore, may result in different forms of pavement distress and damage than those caused by truck traffic. Although a great deal of research has been performed on the effects of truck traffic on pavement performance, limited research has dealt with the procedures of quantifying the influence of IoH on pavement performance and there are no nationally accepted procedures to estimate these effects. There is a need to identify the procedures currently available for quantifying the effects of IoH on pavement performance and develop procedures that can be used for the different IoH configurations, pavement types, and applications. Also, there is a need to develop a tool to facilitate the implementation of these procedures. These procedures and accompanying tool should help highway agencies in making decisions regarding the movement of IoH on highway pavements.
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research are to (1) propose procedures for quantifying the effects of implements of husbandry (IoH) on pavement performance and (2) develop a tool to facilitate implementation of these procedures.
STATUS: Research is complete; the final report has been published as NCHRP Research Report 1019. The appendicesare available as NCHRP Web-Only Document 338. The software develped as part of the project and related user manuals are available on the National Academies Press Website (nap.national academies.org) by searchning on NCHRP Research Report 1019.
