Oversize vehicles 1

[georam]

Are there websites or information, or anyone can provide info which is related to the design of road/pavement for oversize vehicles. What I mean "oversize" is not just BIG, but very very big (such as those flatbeds carrying space shuttle, rocketship, airplanes, cranes, giant mining equipment,etc).I don;t even know the configuration of the tires for these vechicles.... hundreds of tires !. Some of these heavy machines (unusually huge cranes,etc) are designed by companies in Netherlands or Germany. How do you accomodate for the subbgrade requirements, thickness of subbase/base, etc . What kind of loads which we deal with ?

Thanks for info

 

[Ron]

Georam,
I have done designs as you describe, including the shuttle or other rocket transport bed at Cape Canaveral and highly loaded industrial vehicles such as log stackers, etc. I usually get the actual axle loads and then use layered elastic analysis techniques or finite element modeling.

The AASHTO and PCA methods are intended for more "standard" vehicles. The elastic layer methods or finite element modeling allow you the flexibility of showing the interaction with closely spaced, heavily loaded tires/wheels, as well as very quick "what if" evaluations.