This paper examines the importance of structural dynamics in the prima
ry response of flexible pavements to fluctuating, moving wheel loads.
The influence of vehicle speed and loading frequency are examined firs
t, using a validated dynamic road-response model with idealized loads.
The dynamic calculation procedure is then simplified to provide a ''q
uasi-dynamic'' calculation which accounts for vehicle speed but not th
e dependence of road response on loading frequency. The simplification
decreases the necessary computer resources significantly and reduces
the computation time sufficiently for use on a personal computer. The
validity of the simplification is tested by comparing primary road res
ponses and fatigue damage predicted by the two methods, for dynamic wh
eel loads generated by two representative mathematical vehicle models,
on two different roads. It is found that differences in response are
observable, but in practical situations they are likely to be small. I
t is concluded that the simplified quasi-dynamic calculation approach
is preferable.