Survivability of Foil Strain Gages Mounted on Geosynthetics Under Full-Scale Construction Loads

As part of a larger geosynthetic research project involving the construction of full-scale flexible pavement test sections instrumented with foil strain gages, a study is being completed to investigate various methods of protecting those strain gages to improve quality control in the field. Two trial test sections were constructed (as part of this study) and reinforced with instrumented geotextile and geogrid materials. Each geosynthetic had five separate gage areas, and each gage area had a different protection alternative. A total of 30 gages were installed. The base course aggregate was placed and compacted using the same full-scale construction loading conditions expected on site, and the compaction phase was followed by additional truck traffic. Gage resistances were monitored as a function of time and loading scheme so that the preferred method of gage protection could be identified for use during field construction.