Pavement displacement sensitivity to layer moduli

The backcalculation of layer moduli using falling weight deflectometer data has proven to be challenging owing to the insensitivity of displacement measurements to the stiffness characteristics of some layers. This note describes a rigorous, yet simple, finite element technique for identifying the relationship between surface displacement and the elastic modulus of each layer. An example is given to demonstrate the application of the procedure.Key words: pavements, subgrade, backcalculation, contribution ratio.