The work “The Destructive Power Measurements of Thai Trucks and Load Behavior of Highway Pavement Structures” was honored with the Research Award in Engineering and Research Industry - Good Level - from the National Research Council Thailand (NRCT). Assistant Professor Dr. Thanongsak Imjai, one of the researchers of this project is from the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Disaster Management (CESDM), Walailak University. At the awards ceremony, Dr. Akaphat Sawangsuree, the project leader from the Bureau of Road Research and Development, Department of Highways, represented the project and received the award at Thailand Inventor's Day 2020, an event recently organized at BITEC Exhibition and Convention Center, Bang Na, Bangkok.

Assistant Professor Dr. Imjai graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Nottingham, with a master's degree in structural engineering from Cardiff University and a doctorate in structural engineering from the University of Sheffield. He specializes in building analysis and inspection, using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to analyze structures and investigate the actual load behavior of structures in civil engineering studies. This includes examining the behavior of concrete reinforcement in disasters and using FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) materials. His research activities include the application of construction innovation to civil engineering works.

Assistant Professor Dr. Imjai presented the research project, " Study on the Destructive Power Measurements of Thai Trucks and Load Behavior of Highway Structures," which started in 2017 in collaboration with the Bureau of Road Research and Development, Department of Highways and Kasetsart University. He was invited as an expert in Finite Element Model Analysis for the research project. The study compared the results of short and long field measurements with the results of numerical model analysis. His work contributes to remedying the current lack of empirical data on pavement response, the loading force of truck weights and various external factors such as Thai highways’ performance and service life.

The second year of this research project is further developing the results of the first-year research, in particular: 1) development and improvement of models for predicting the performance and life of highway service 2) long-term performance monitoring, recording and evaluation of pavement response data 3) installation of embedded measuring instrument systems in road structures and additional field data processing systems to add spatial dimensions, duration of measurement, and quantitative and qualitative data. Results generated in these areas will support the analysis of pavement response behavior and improve models for predicting performance and highway pavement service life. Such up-to-date and reliable results can be used for highway construction design as well as maintenance and restoration.

Assistant Professor Dr. Imjai says that the model developed can be used to predict the performance and service life of highway pavement for improved construction design, maintenance and restoration in Thailand.

Source:https://www.wu.ac.th/th/news/19163

Rewritten from Thai by Uraiwan Angkanawisut