Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer (FFWD) ↓
For Fast and Accurate Pavement Testing – High-Speed Structural Evaluation of Roads and Airfields ↓
High-speed pavement testing system
The Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer (FFWD) is designed for rapid and precise evaluation of pavement structural capacity across infrastructure projects. It enables engineers to collect high-volume data significantly faster than traditional testing methods.
Used to assess pavement strength and performance, the FFWD is ideal for road networks and airport runways where speed and accuracy are critical.
You need this when:
– testing large road or highway networks
– evaluating airport runways
– requiring fast, reliable structural data collection at scale
See the key features on the FFWD
Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer
High-Speed Deflection Testing in the Field
The Dynatest Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer (FastFWD) is engineered for rapid structural assessment of pavements. By simulating the dynamic load of a moving wheel through a segmented loading plate, the FastFWD delivers drop rates up to five times faster than traditional FWDs—enabling efficient data collection without compromising accuracy.
Standard features include a four-segmented swivel-mounted load plate for uneven or rutted surfaces, air and pavement temperature sensors, a Distance Measuring Instrument (DMI), and an onboard generator for fully autonomous operation in the field.
Structural Analysis with ELMOD® Integration
When combined with Dynatest’s ELMOD® software, the FastFWD provides a complete solution for calculating pavement layer moduli, conducting structural evaluations, and designing overlays.
The system gives you clear insight into pavement behavior under load, allowing for early detection of structural issues and better-informed maintenance planning—helping to preserve performance and extend service life.
Download the brochure to explore how the FastFWD can support your pavement evaluation needs.
Key features and benefits
- A single direct drive, 3-phase torque motor and ball screw assembly drives the new system replacing the hydraulic system in FWD
- Up to 5x faster per drop compared to conventional Falling Weight Deflectometers (FWDs)
- Enables 75% more test points per hour or reduces traffic exposure by 45%
- No hydraulics, resulting in reduced maintenance requirements
- Lower long-term operating costs
- Fully self-contained with onboard generator
- Suitable for testing thin asphalt layers, block pavements, and similar surface types
- Non-destructive testing method for structural evaluation
- Compliant with AASHTO R 32 and UK Correlation Trial standards
- Same sensor configuration and user interface as the Dynatest Model 8002 FWD
- Upgradeable from Dynatest Model 8002 FWD to FastFWD without replacing the entire system
See the FastFWD in action
Want to know what makes the FastFWD stand out? Watch our video to see how it performs in the field. It’s up to five times faster per drop than the original FWD and outpaces anything else on the market. It integrates with DynaWare, and helps you save valuable time on every test.
Optimization with DynaWare
DynaWare improves the current user interface of the Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer and elevate the electronics, hardware, and software to modern standards.
Thanks to DynaWare it is possible to offer advanced GIS visualization when collecting data and when planning survey routes. DynaWare brings a complete hardware redesign and wirings will be drastically reduced.
Get a closer look
Electro-mechanical system with ease of maintenance
Peak load range approximately 4 to 120kN / 150kN
Meets ASTM D-4694, D-4695 and equivalent standards
Fast movement due to electric motor, 3-drop testing performed in less than 15 seconds
Up to 15 seismic deflection sensors
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Available Upgrade Options
- Folding trailer (standard EU and option for US) for ease of shipment
- Global Positioning System (GPS)
- Camera system for plate location or
photo-logging - Trailer mounted light(s) or strobe(s)
- Rear and side Sensor Extension Bars & Transverse Sensor.
- Ground Penetrating Radar
- Spare parts kit
- Additional deflection sensors (up to 15)
ELMOD® Software - only available for Dynatest Equipment
Dynatest’s ELMOD® software delivers a full suite of structural analysis tools for flexible, rigid, and composite pavements.
Fed with FastFWD load-deflection data, it reduces and interprets each drop sequence in under a second, back-calculating layer moduli, correcting them for seasonal effects, estimating residual pavement life, and recommending overlay thickness aligned with the desired service life.
For maintenance and repair planning, the built-in Life-Cycle Cost Analysis module compares alternative strategies and selects the option with the most favorable cost-to-benefit ratio for each pavement section.
In aviation applications, ELMOD® simultaneously reports the emerging ACR/PCR classification and the traditional ACN/PCN values, giving airfield managers a seamless path through the FAA’s transition period until ACR/PCR becomes fully mandatory in November 2024.
Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer and Accelerated Pavement Testing
Since the year 1900, Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) has played a crucial role in fostering innovation and enhancing our understanding of pavements through accelerated testing, and is a valuable tool that can be utilized to predict and validate pavement performance. The possibility of using the FastFWD for Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) to study pavement deterioration will shorten the gap between the Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) and small-scale laboratory test methods.
The FastFWD (with an APT application package) has proven to be able to be used as an intermediate tool, between small-scale laboratory tests (bending beam, shear, and triaxial tests) and full scale accelerated pavement tests. Several tests have been conducted with great success. Read more about this application in the brochure or application note below.
Download Brochure
FastFWD Accelerated Pavement Testing
Download Application Note
Watch our video about The Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer in APT
The FastFWD (with an APT application package) has proven to be able to be used as an intermediate tool between small-scale laboratory tests (bending beam, shear, and triaxial tests) and full scale accelerated pavement tests. See more in this video.
Request a quote on the Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer - FFWD
FAQ FastFWD
FastFWD uses an electro-mechanical loading system instead of hydraulics. This allows testing to be performed up to five times faster while reducing maintenance requirements and lowering traffic exposure during surveys.
The electro-mechanical design eliminates the delays associated with hydraulic systems. FastFWD can perform up to 160 test points per hour and supports significantly higher testing productivity than conventional FWD systems.
The Dynatest FastFWD is a non-destructive pavement testing system that evaluates pavement structural condition by applying an impulse load and measuring the resulting deflection basin. It provides the same type of structural information as a conventional Falling Weight Deflectometer while significantly increasing testing speed.
FastFWD can perform up to 160 test points per hour, allowing road agencies, consultants, and airport authorities to survey larger pavement networks in less time.
FastFWD measures pavement deflections under load. The results can be used to determine layer stiffness, identify weak pavement sections, estimate remaining life, design overlays, evaluate load transfer efficiency, and support pavement management decisions.
A deflection basin is the pattern of pavement movement measured at multiple sensor locations when a load is applied. Engineers use the basin shape to evaluate pavement structure, calculate layer stiffness, and identify structural weaknesses below the surface.
Yes. FastFWD can be used on both roads and airfields. The collected data can be analyzed in ELMOD to support airport pavement evaluation and Pavement Classification Rating (PCR) calculations.
FastFWD can apply dynamic loads ranging from 4 kN to 120 kN (1,000–27,000 lbf), making it suitable for a wide range of pavement structures and testing applications.
No. FastFWD is fully electro-mechanical and does not use hydraulic pumps, valves, or hydraulic oil systems. This reduces maintenance requirements, simplifies operation, and lowers ownership costs
Yes. A GPS system is included as standard equipment. Higher-accuracy positioning systems are available as upgrades when survey requirements demand greater positioning precision.
Smart Geophones simplify installation, identification, and calibration procedures. They also make sensor replacement and relative calibration procedures more efficient compared to previous geophone generations.
Yes. The FastFWD platform is designed with upgrade compatibility for Dynatest Model 8000 FWD systems, allowing selected systems to be upgraded rather than replaced.
The FastFWD system uses Dynaware for data collection and ELMOD7 for pavement analysis. Together, they support testing, data management, backcalculation, overlay design, remaining-life analysis, and reporting.
ELMOD7 is used after data collection to analyze pavement structure, backcalculate layer moduli, estimate remaining pavement life, evaluate rehabilitation alternatives, and design overlays.
Yes. FastFWD can be used for certain Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) applications where repeated loading is required to evaluate pavement performance, materials, and pavement design alternatives. FastFWD's high testing speed makes it particularly well suited for this type of work.
Dynatest provides equipment training covering system setup, measurement procedures, troubleshooting, operation, and preventive maintenance. ELMOD software training is also available online or on-site.
FastFWD follows established calibration procedures, including AASHTO calibration practices and UK Correlation Trial validation. Regular calibration helps ensure repeatable, accurate, and consistent measurements.
Organizations choose FastFWD when they need the structural information of a traditional FWD while increasing productivity, reducing traffic disruption, lowering maintenance requirements, and improving network-level survey efficiency.
Do you need more information?
You can always reach out to us to get help and assistance.