Influence of the modulus of elasticity of the asphalt layer considering vehicular congestion in urban intersections

Currently, traffic congestion is a problem that is present in many cities around the world. This problem not only has become synonymous with stress and anxiety for users, but also represents a challenge for pavements experts. Congestion not only implies a large increase in road loading but can also generate changes in the mechanical properties of the pavement. These modifications can reduce the design life of roads by affecting the behavior of the modulus of elasticity. Vehicular speed, temperature and pavement overload in traffic are components that should undoubtedly be reflected in a methodology, since these values have a direct influence on the useful life of the roads. This research proposes an empirical methodology for the determination of the modulus of elasticity in an asphalt pavement. This new proposal includes concepts such as temperature, speed, and weight of vehicles in congestion. The experiment was carried out on a road at congested and non-congested temperatures, 35°C and 25°C, respectively. Finally, a discrepancy of more than 50% was obtained between the modulus of elasticity obtained in the laboratory by the conventional method and the modulus calculated by the proposed methodology. The value obtained with the methodology is higher because it includes the increase in the temperature of the asphalt layer due to congestion.