In Situ Instrumentation and Calibration of Flexible Pavement Under Real Traffic: Experimental Comparison with the AEMC/MeDiNa Model in Brazil

Abstract This article presents the design, calibration and field evaluation of an instrumented flexible pavement section aimed at quantifying mechanical responses and comparing them with the predictions of multilayer elastic analysis (AEMC), the mechanistic component of the Brazilian mechanistic-empirical method MeDiNa. Total earth pressure cells and strain gauges were installed in the asphalt layer, base, sub-base and subgrade to monitor stresses and strains under a controlled loading protocol ranging from 0 to 100% of the 8.2-ton standard axle load, to evaluate conversion factors and verify the metrological stability of the measurements. The results showed physically consistent time histories, with progressive response reduction as the load decreased, spatial sensitivity to wheel path position and stress attenuation with depth. In the model-to-field comparison, the assumptions of full and partial interlayer bonding generally provided better agreement with the measured data than the unbonded scenario, although magnitude discrepancies persisted for some stresses and strains. From an operational standpoint, the study highlighted the critical influence of sensor integrity and redundancy, cable and connection protection and vehicle trajectory control on data quality. As a contribution, the work provides experimental evidence for the evaluation of AEMC/MeDiNa in the Brazilian context and organizes practical recommendations for future instrumentation campaigns and for strengthening the regional calibration of the method.