Development of Stochastic Perpetual Pavement Design Criteria

In recent years, there has been a push towards designing roadways which will sustain 50 years of trafficking without having any structural fatigue damage. These “perpetual pavements” are designed using mechanistic-empirical design methods which limit the strain imposed at the bottom of the bituminous layer of a pavement structure to a specific value which negates bottom-up fatigue damage. Previously, only laboratory data had been developed to identify this strain threshold, which is likely to be too conservative for design purposes. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop field-based strain thresholds for perpetual pavement design. This will ultimately lead to more efficient perpetual pavement design. To accomplish this objective, strain distributions were developed for 21 test sections at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Pavement Test Track. These sections represented three cycles of research using both calculated and measured strains. A unique method of characterizing the entire cumulative probability distribution of strains experienced by each test section was developed, and strain distributions of those sections that experienced fatigue cracking were compared with the distributions of those that did not crack. It was found that sections with bottom-up fatigue cracking experienced higher strain levels above the 55th percentile strain compared to those that did not crack. New strain criteria, in the form of a recommended maximum strain distribution, for perpetual pavement design of flexible pavements were developed using the average of four sections which experienced the most traffic without fatigue cracking. This strain distribution can be used provisionally for the design of perpetual pavements to prevent fatigue cracking. Further research is needed to more fully develop the strain distribution concept for wider application and use.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/02702932
• Authors:
  • Willis, James Richard
  • Timm, David H
• Conference:
  • Asphalt Paving Technology 2010
  • Location: Sacramento CA, United States
  • Date: 2010-3-7 to 2010-3-10
• Publication Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: CD-ROM; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 561-596
• Serial:
  • Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists
  • Volume: 79
  • Publisher: Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT)
  • ISSN: 0270-2932
  • Serial URL: https://www.asphalttechnology.org/site_page.cfm?pk_association_webpage_menu=9169&pk_association_webpage=19109

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bituminous pavements; Failure; Fatigue cracking; Flexible pavements; Pavement design; Perpetual pavements; Strain (Mechanics)
• Identifier Terms: Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01328023
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 20 2011 11:22AM