Simple Model for Structural Evaluation of Asphalt Concrete Pavements at the Network Level

Evaluation of the structural conditions and estimation of the remaining structural life of each pavement section are important considerations for prioritizing the maintenance needs of any highway network. Many highway agencies, where equipment for evaluation is not available and maintenance funds are limited, may not be able to carry out a detailed structural evaluation on individual pavement sections. An attempt has been made in this paper to develop a simple and cost effective model for structural evaluation of existing pavements. The important features of the model are (1) it can be executed with minimal amount of data, (2) the model is simple and does not require use of any costly equipment, and (3) the output of the model can be directly used for prioritization of maintenance needs at the network level. Two such models have been developed. The models are statistical and are derived from the long term pavement performance (LTPP) database developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The models have been validated and their predictions for remaining structural life (RSL) have been compared with the RSL obtained using the fatigue and rutting distress models of the Asphalt Institute. The results indicate that the proposed models are capable of predicting the RSL of existing pavements with reasonable accuracy and consistency, given that their primary use is in evaluating pavement structural conditions at the network level and for the purpose of prioritizing pavement sections for maintenance purposes.

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