Dynatest, the original commercial developer of the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) technology, is the world’s largest supplier of FWD equipment. This highly accurate, well supported, reliable and continuously refined Dynatest product line is a proven load/deflection measurement solution for engineers worldwide.

The Dynatest Model 8000 FWD makes it possible to treat pavement structures in the same manner as other civil engineering structures by using mechanistically based design methods. Selecting the type of rehabilitation to be implemented on a given pavement is of considerable economic significance. To reach that decision without an adequate knowledge of the structural condition of the pavement may have very costly consequences.

The use of a Dynatest FWD enables the engineer to determine a deflection basin caused by a controlled load with accuracy and resolution superior to other existing test methods. The FWD produces a dynamic impulse load that simulates a moving wheel load, rather than a static, semi-static or vibratory load. These developments allow the use of mechanistic approaches to analyse FWD data.

Advantages

• non-destrucive test device
• one man operational
• accurate and fast (up to 60 test point/hr)
• wide loading range (allowing for simulation of new large Aircraft such as A-380 and B-777)
• designed for multi-purpose pavement applications, ranging from unpaved roads to airfields
• excellent repeatability
• ideal for mechanistic/analytical design approaches

Software Products for Structural Analysis and Design For routine analysis purposes, Dynatest has developed a software system, ELMOD 6, for both flexible and rigid pavements.

This software application allows extremely rapid data reduction and analysis of FWD/HWD measurements, calculating the layer E-moduli for a typical drop sequence in one second or less.

Seasonally adjusted E-moduli, residual life, and required overlay (if applicable) are also calculated within seconds. For analysis of airfield pavements, Dynatest offers the PCN module, which calculates PCN-values in accordance with the ACN/PCN method, as described in the ICAO design manuals.

FWD Win

• support for multiple languages
• Data files:
  • data is stored in access(m) (.mdb) databases for ease of processing
• the program can simultaneously generate various formats:
  • .fwd, .f20, .f25, .PDDX Pavement Deflection Data eXchange (PDDX by AASHTO), .XML eXtensible Markup Language (XML by W3C)
  • 15 active sensor capability
  • surface modulus plots can be graphed real time along road sections under test
  • real time backcalculation network database