This paper presents part of the research work being performed
under the "International Subgrade Performance Study"
sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The objective
of the subgrade study is to define one or more predictive models
that will relate rutting to soil type, stress/strain level, and
soil moisture conditions. Full-scale instrumented flexible test
pavements will be constructed in the Frost Effects Research Facility
at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and
Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and at the Danish Road Institute
(DRI). Accelerated loading will be used to simulate traffic, and
pavement performance will be measured. As part of the research
work, repeated-load triaxial testing of both resilient and plastic
properties of the subgrade soils will be performed. Characterization
of resilient properties is being done at Cornell University. Special
testing equipment and procedures for specimen preparation have
been developed. The procedure produces specimens with a uniform
density and moisture gradient. The test plan for repeated-load
triaxial testing of resilient modulus, and plans for model building
from the results are described.