A Design Guideline on the Use of Repeated Lightweight Deflectometer Test Data in Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design

This book presents a modern approach to evaluating subgrade and base layer performance in road construction using the Repeated Lightweight Deflectometer (RLWD). It explains how rapid in-situ measurements of stiffness and deformation can improve pavement design, providing a practical alternative to traditional laboratory testing methods.

This book provides a comprehensive methodology for applying RLWD testing in mechanistic-empirical pavement design. It introduces the theoretical background of resilient modulus and permanent deformation behaviour of geomaterials, followed by detailed guidance on RLWD testing procedures, data interpretation, and validation. Comparisons with traditional Repeated Load Triaxial (RLT) tests demonstrate the reliability of RLWD-derived stiffness and deformation parameters. This book also explains how RLWD measurements can be integrated into mechanistic-empirical pavement design frameworks to evaluate stresses, strains, and long-term pavement performance. Case studies illustrate the application of RLWD for different soils and unbound materials under varying stress and moisture conditions. In addition, the influence of environmental factors, field variability, and construction practices on pavement performance is discussed, showing how RLWD testing can support real-time quality control, more realistic design inputs, and sustainable road infrastructure management.

This book is intended for pavement engineers, geotechnical engineers, transportation researchers, and infrastructure consultants involved in road design and construction. It will also serve graduate students and university instructors in civil engineering, as well as public-sector agencies and laboratories responsible for pavement evaluation, materials testing, and infrastructure management and maintenance.

Dina K. Kuttah received her B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq, in 1997, 2000, and 2004, respectively. In 1997, she received the first national prize for outstanding achievement as a graduate student in Civil Engineering in Iraq. From 2000 to 2008, she served as an assistant lecturer and later as a Lecturer at the same university.

In 2008, Dina immigrated to Sweden with her family and began working as an external lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University while learning Swedish. Since 2011, she has been with the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), where she is currently a Senior Researcher in Pavement Technology.

Her research focuses on advanced techniques in road construction, material characterization and testing, and the development of smart and sustainable road infrastructure. She has served as the principal researcher for her team in several national and European projects in road and transport engineering. Dina is also the originator of a field-testing concept for assessing in-situ permanent deformation of road materials under dynamic loading using simple equipment, which led to the development of the multifunctional Repeated Lightweight Deflectometer (RLWD) in 2017. She is a member of the Swedish Inventors’ Association.

Dina has published two books and over 80 articles and reports in geotechnical and pavement engineering and has organized a series of workshops to enhance knowledge exchange between Sweden and other countries in sustainable road infrastructure, pavement technology, and transportation geotechnics.