The 'Equivalent Single Axle Load' (ESAL) concept is used in pavement design to:
Choose the correct answer
Measure the size of tyre contact area
Convert all axle loads to damage equivalent of standard 80-kN axle using 4th power law for pavement thickness design
Count the number of vehicles
Measure total traffic in km driven
Correct Answer
B. Convert all axle loads to damage equivalent of standard 80-kN axle using 4th power law for pavement thickness design
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ESAL: converts all axle loads to equivalent passes of an 80-kN (18-kip) standard single axle using damage factor = (axle load/80 kN)^4 (4th power law). Allows comparison of pavement damage from different axle configurations (single, tandem, tridem). Total design ESALs = sum over design period = basis for structural design in both IRC:37 (flexible) and IRC:58 (rigid).
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