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Wavelet Denoising of TSD Deflection Slope Measurements for Improved Pavement Structural Evaluation
Author(s) -
Katicha Samer Wehbe,
Flintsch Gerardo,
Bryce James,
Ferne Brian
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
computer‐aided civil and infrastructure engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.773
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1467-8667
pISSN - 1093-9687
DOI - 10.1111/mice.12052
Subject(s) - deflection (physics) , wavelet , noise reduction , falling weight deflectometer , wavelet transform , traffic speed , acoustics , structural engineering , computer science , engineering , artificial intelligence , optics , physics , subgrade , transport engineering
Continuous deflection devices (CDDs) can safely measure pavement deflection (or other related properties) while traveling at highway speed, which reduces traffic disruption. CDD measurements are contaminated with relatively high noise levels compared to stop‐and‐go devices such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer. In this article, we use wavelet transform denoising to remove the noise and estimate the true deflection slope measurements obtained from the Traffic Speed Deflectometer. Results show that failure to denoise deflection slope measurements can lead to calculated Effective Structural Number values that are highly variable (unstable). Attempting to filter these highly variable measurements can lead to erroneous results. We also use wavelet transform denoising to identify localized weak spots such as those that are caused by pavement reflection cracking. Identifying weak spots with wavelets is possible because wavelets are spatially adaptive to local features. In contrast, a linear filter is not capable of adapting to local features.