Proposed Enhancements to Pavement ME Design: Improved Consideration of the Influence of Subgrade and Unbound Layers on Pavement Performance

The American Association of Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO’s) pavement mechanistic-empirical (ME) design software, AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design, and the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Manual of Practice (MEPDG) provide a methodology for the analysis and performance prediction of pavements and overlays. The performance of flexible and rigid pavements is known to be closely related to properties of the base, subbase, and/or subgrade. However, some recent research studies indicated that the performance predicted by this methodology shows a low sensitivity to the properties of underlying layers and does not always reflect the extent of the anticipated effect, so the procedures contained in the Pavement ME Design need to be evaluated. In addition, proper enhancements should be developed to appropriately account for the influence of subgrade and unbound layers on the performance of flexible and rigid pavements. These enhancements will be incorporated into the Pavement ME Design procedures, which improve the analysis and design of flexible and rigid pavements. This research project proposes and develops enhancements to the Pavement ME Design procedures for both flexible and rigid pavements, which will better reflect the influence of subgrade and unbound layers (properties and thicknesses) on the pavement performance. These enhancements include modifications of the models contained in Pavement ME Design and/or the development of new models. The project required the development and synthesis of several components: (a) evaluation and screening of unbound layer and subgrade models; (b) development of soil water characteristics curve models of base and subgrade; (c) development of resilient modulus (MR) models of base and subgrade; (d) development of modulus of subgrade reaction model; (e) development of faulting model of base layers; and (f) conduction of performance prediction and sensitivity analysis.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/179618.aspx
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309497909
• Authors:
  • Lytton, Robert L
  • Luo, Xue
  • Saha, Sajib
  • Chen, Yu
  • 0000-0001-9459-9349
  • Deng, Yong
  • Gu, Fan
  • Ling, Meng
• Publication Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Contractor's Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 231p
• Serial:
  • NCHRP Web-Only Document
  • Issue Number: 264
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Coefficient of subgrade reaction; Flexible pavements; Mechanistic-empirical pavement design; Modulus of resilience; Pavement performance; Rigid pavements; Subgrade (Pavements)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Unbound aggregate base layers
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01719257
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309497909
• Report/Paper Numbers: NCHRP Project 01-53
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 10 2019 10:14AM