Why Compaction Meter Value (CMV) Is a Good Measure of Pavement Stiffness: Towards a Possible Theoretical Explanation

Authors

Andrzej Pownuk, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Pedro Barragan Olague, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

6-2016

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-16-40

Abstract

To measure stiffness of the compacted pavement, practitioners use the Compaction Meter Value (CMV); a ratio between the amplitude for the first harmonic of the compactor's acceleration and the amplitude corresponding to the vibration frequency. Numerous experiments show that CMV is highly correlated with the pavement stiffness, but as of now, there is no convincing theoretical explanation for this correlation. In this paper, we provide a possible theoretical explanation for the empirical correlation. This explanation also explains why, the stiffer the material, the more higher-order harmonics we observe.