PAVEMENT DAMAGE FUNCTIONS FOR COST ALLOCATION VOLUME 1 DAMAGE FUNCTIONS AND LOAD EQUIVALENCE FACTORS

Pavement damage functions were developed for both flexible and rigid pavement distresses that were considered significant as generators of major repair or rehabilitation. These damage functions were then used to develop load equivalence factors for each of these significant distresses. The result of this is a family of damage functions or distress models for broad application for pavement management and other uses as well as for cost allocations. Two classes of damage functions were produced, those that predict load-induced damage and those that predict damage caused by the environment with general independence of axle loads. A computer program called program DAMAGE was developed to use these damage functions in the calculation of load equivalence factors, and the distribution of the various types of damage to specific axle load classes. Deduct points are used to weigh the damage in terms of their relative importance and to thus generate distributions of overall responsibility to be ascribed to the various axle load classes. All the damage functions and performance models used in this work effort were either developed during this work effort or have resulted from improvements to existing models. See also: Pavement Damage Functions for Cost Allocation, Executive Summary, FHWA/RD-84/017, and Volume 2. Descriptions of Detailed Studies, FHWA/RD-84/019. (FHWA)