DEVELOPMENT OF A DEMONSTRATION PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT EVALUATION

A computerized system has been developed to assist state highway engineers in evaluating concrete highway pavements. The system uses information collected by the engineer to determine what mechanisms have caused the distresses present in the pavement, so that the rehabilitation techniques that would be most effective in repairing the distresses and preventing their recurrence can be identified. The evaluation procedure has been developed in the form of an expert system that simulates a consultation between the engineer and an expert in concrete pavement evaluation and rehabilitation. The system was developed through extensive interviewing of concrete pavement experts. The system operates on an IBM-compatible personal computer with two disk drives. The steps in the development of the expert system are described for the benefit of those interested in improved pavement evaluation procedures and in exploring expert systems applications in pavement design, evaluation, and rehabilitation. The work performed demonstrates that an expert system capable of diagnosing pavement deficiencies and their causes at a level approaching that of a human expert in the field can be developed and applied as a component of a practical engineering procedure for comprehensive evaluation and rehabilitation of concrete pavements.