ABSTRACT
The present study investigates the increase in vehicle fuel consumption caused by the structural response of pavements to a moving load. Simulations have been conducted for a heavy truck and a passenger car moving along seven rigid and ten flexible pavement sections at 72 km/hr, in summer and winter conditions. The mechanistic analysis shows that, in general, the effect of Structural Rolling Resistance (SRR) on fuel consumption is minimal (less than 0.5%) for both asphalt and concrete pavements. This is true for the passenger car, irrespective of temperature conditions (winter or summer). However, for the heavy truck, the excess fuel consumption due to SRR in flexible pavements is higher in summer conditions, and can reach 1.5%.
