Theory 142/Asphalt rutting/Rate lens
Rutting Follows Accumulation
The claim
Rut depth is set by the rate at which permanent deformation accumulates per load cycle rather than by total traffic.
01Mechanism
Each pass produces a small irrecoverable strain; the rate per cycle multiplied by cycles gives the rut.
02Prediction
Rut should track the rate per cycle.
03Refutation
Rut tracking traffic would remove the per-cycle strain.