The effect of initial smoothness on flexible pavement life

The paper describes a procedure for estimating changes in pavement life span, attributed to changes in the initial smoothness, for asphalt concrete pavements in Ontario. The procedure takes into account the influence of initial smoothness and ride deterioration over time, as well as the influence of other distresses that may trigger the need for pavement rehabilitation. In this case, an improvement in initial pavement smoothness may not have a significant influence on extending the pavement life, because these sections fail and are rehabilitated before they reach terminal roughness. The challenge is to quantify the influence of initial smoothness on pavement life while recognizing the influence of other distresses. The procedure utilizes the observed occurrence of six key pavement distresses at the time of rehabilitation. These distresses include roughness, raveling, transverse cracking, rutting, alligator cracking, and other cracking. Expert judgment is used to quantify the impact of the initial smoothness on the six key pavement distresses. The effect of improved initial smoothness is expressed as the change in pavement life. The procedure yields a calibrated transfer function converting the change in initial smoothness into the change in pavement life.

• Authors:
  • Hajek, J J
  • Hein, D K
  • Kazmierowski, T J
• Conference:
  • International Conference on Highway Pavement Data, Analysis and Mechanistic Design Applications, 2003, Columbus, Ohio, USA
• Publication Date: 2003

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 251-9
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Highway Pavement Data, Analysis and Mechanistic Design Applications, September 7-10 2003, Columbus, Ohio: volume 2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bituminous pavements; Cracking; Durability; Pavement performance; Ride quality; Roughness; Rutting
• Geographic Terms: Ontario, Canada
• ATRI Terms: Bituminous pavement; Cracking; Durability; Pavement performance; Riding quality; Roughness; Rutting
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01390914
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 23 2012 5:08AM