Derivation of Equation for Cost of Premature Pavement Failure

With the continuing interest in performance-related specifications and the development of software packages to compute the appropriate level of payment associated with variable levels of quality, there is a need for a simple, easily understood method to validate the output of these computer programs. A standard validation procedure is to create realistic hypothetical cases that can be calculated readily by hand and then to compare the results with the output of the procedure under test. An equation is derived that can serve two extremely useful purposes: it can be used as a validation tool for software currently under development, or it can be used directly to establish pay schedules that award payment appropriate for the level of quality received.