Development of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design in Minnesota

1998 ◽  
Vol 1629 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Timm ◽  
Bjorn Birgisson ◽  
David Newcomb
Keyword(s):  
Material Characterization ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Computer Models ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
University Of Minnesota ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Load Spectra ◽  
Weigh In Motion

The next AASHTO guide on pavement design will encourage a broader use of mechanistic-empirical (M-E) approaches. While M-E design is conceptually straightforward, the development and implementation of such a procedure are somewhat more complicated. The development of an M-E design procedure at the University of Minnesota, in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, is described. Specifically, issues concerning mechanistic computer models, material characterization, load configuration, pavement life equations, accumulating damage, and seasonal variations in material properties are discussed. Each of these components fits into the proposed M-E design procedure for Minnesota but is entirely compartmentalized. For example, as better computer models are developed, they may simply be inserted into the design method to yield more accurate pavement response predictions. Material characterization, in terms of modulus, will rely on falling-weight deflectometer and laboratory data. Additionally, backcalculated values from the Minnesota Road Research Project will aid in determining the seasonal variation of moduli. The abundance of weigh-in-motion data will allow for more accurate load characterization in terms of load spectra rather than load equivalency. Pavement life equations to predict fatigue and rutting in conjunction with Miner’s hypothesis of accumulating damage are continually being refined to match observed performance in Minnesota. Ultimately, a computer program that incorporates the proposed M-E design method into a user-friendly Windows environment will be developed.

scholarly journals Creation of Truck Axle Load Spectra Using Weigh-in-Motion Data

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Jiang ◽  
Shuo Li ◽  
Tommy Nantung ◽  
Kirk Mangold ◽  
Scott A. MacArthur
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Traffic Information ◽  
Truck Traffic ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Load Spectra ◽  
Weigh In Motion ◽  
Adjustment Factors ◽  
Axle Loads

To assure a smooth transition from the existing pavement design methods to the new mechanistic-empirical design method in the Indiana Department of Transportation, a study was conducted to create truck traffic inputs and axle load spectra of major interstate and state-owned highways in Indiana. The existing pavement design method is based on the equivalent single-axle loads (ESAL), which converts wheel loads of various magnitudes and repetitions to an equivalent number of "standard" or "equivalent" axle loads. The new design method uses axle load spectra as the measure of vehicle loads on pavements. These spectra represent the percentage of the total axle applications within each load interval for single, tandem, tridem, and quad axles. In this study, the truck traffic and axle load spectra were developed based on the historical traffic data collected at 47 sites with weigh-in-motion technology. The truck traffic information includes hourly, daily, and monthly distributions of various types of vehicles and corresponding adjustment factors, the distributions of the number of axles of each type of truck, the weights of the axles, the spaces between the axles, the proportions of vehicles on roadway lanes, and the proportions of vehicles in driving directions. This paper presents the truck traffic and axle load spectra generated from the weigh-in-motion sites as required by the new pavement design method.

Axle Load Distribution Characterization for Mechanistic Pavement Design

1998 ◽  
Vol 1629 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong R. Kim ◽  
Leslie Titus-Glover ◽  
Michael I. Darter ◽  
Robert K. Kumapley
Keyword(s):  
Load Distribution ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Performance Study ◽  
Traffic Loading ◽  
Design Procedures ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Load Distributions ◽  
Weigh In Motion ◽  
The 1960S

Proper consideration of traffic loading in pavement design requires knowledge of the full axle load distribution by the main axle types, including single, tandem, and tridem axles. Although the equivalent single axle load (ESAL) concept has been used since the 1960s for empirical pavement design, the new mechanistic-based pavement design procedures under development by various agencies most likely will require the use of the axle load distribution. Procedures and models for converting average daily traffic into ESALs and axle load distribution are presented, as are the relevant issues on the characterization of the full axle load distributions for single, tandem, and tridem axles for use in mechanistic-based pavement design. Weigh-in-motion data from the North Central Region of the Long-Term Pavement Performance study database were used to develop the models for predicting axle load distribution.

A Pavement Design and Rehabilitation System

1996 ◽  
Vol 1539 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Uzan
Keyword(s):  
Load Distribution ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Equivalent Temperature ◽  
Pavement Condition ◽  
Rehabilitation System ◽  
Overlay Design ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Pavement Thickness

Because the Superpave system is not readily available for use, an interim pavement design and rehabilitation method was developed that can be used for Israeli traffic and environmental conditions. The existing method was upgraded to include most of the relevant available information and to produce reliable pavement design for the specific conditions in Israel. The upgrading concentrated on multiple topics. An axle-load distribution specific to Israeli conditions was included because analysis indicates that axle loads in Israel are typically above the standard 80-kN single axle load. The extended California bearing ratio (CBR) method was adapted to a variety of axle-load combinations by using Miner's law for damage accumulation. Converting the axle-load distribution to the standard 80-kN equivalent single axle load leads to underdesign of approximately 10 percent in pavement thickness (or to a reduction of about 70 percent of the design life). A fatigue consideration to determine the asphalt-layer thickness was added. Local temperatures were analyzed to determine an equivalent temperature for fatigue calculation. For Israeli conditions, an equivalent temperature of 14°C can be used countrywide for asphalt-layer thicknesses up to 250 mm. An overlay design method consistent with the upgraded design procedure was assembled. It includes backcalculation of layer moduli to determine the subgrade CBR and the quality of the pavement layers; pavement condition surveys to evaluate a representative effective thickness of the asphalt layer; and component-layer analysis to determine the overlay thickness.

scholarly journals Sensitivity Analysis of Rigid Pavement Design Based on Semi-Empirical Methods: Romanian Case Study

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Costel Pleșcan ◽  
Elena-Loredana Pleșcan ◽  
Mariana D. Stanciu ◽  
Marius Botiș ◽  
Daniel Taus
Keyword(s):  
Input Data ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Plain Concrete ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Rigid Pavement ◽  
Pavement Structures

Due to the intensive process of road construction or rehabilitation of pavement caused by an increase in traffic volume, in the field of rigid pavement design and research in Romania, we can say that there is a need to improve the design method. In the last decade, more and more researchers have been concerned about climate change and the increase in traffic volume; hence, there is a need for a renewal of the climatological, as well as traffic, databases because these are part of the input data for the design process. The design method currently used in Romania for jointed plain concrete pavement design is NP081/2002. The limitation of the data and the lack of lifetime estimation of structural and functional performance are the main aspects that need to be addressed in the new design procedure. The Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design (MEPDG) method offers the possibility of the design of pavement structures by estimating the structural and functional performances. This paper aims to obtain a comparative study of these two methods for the analysis of the input data collected from the field corresponding to the three failure criteria, while the symmetry of the characteristics of the material and their asymmetrical thicknesses are compared, thus contributing to the design of viable and long-lasting pavement structures using a rigid pavement with the specific characteristics of the mountainous area in northeastern Romania on the national road DN17 Suceava—Vatra Dornei. The novelty of this study consists of the implementation of the mechanistic–empirical method MEPDG instead of the old NP081/2002 method used in Romania.

Overview of South African Mechanistic Pavement Design Method

1996 ◽  
Vol 1539 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. Theyse ◽  
M. De Beer ◽  
F. C. Rust
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Material Characterization ◽  
Life Prediction ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Modes Of Failure

A historical overview of the South African mechanistic pavement design method, from its development in the early 1970s to the present, is presented. Material characterization, structural analysis, and pavement life prediction are discussed, and stiffness values are suggested for a range of materials in the absence of measured values. The modes of failure for these material types include the fatigue of asphalt material, deformation of granular material, crushing and effective fatigue of lightly cemented material, and deformation of selected and subgrade material. The critical parameters and transfer functions for these material types and modes of failure are discussed and included in the pavement life prediction process.

scholarly journals An overview of asphalt pavement design for streets and roads

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Ricardo Vásquez-Varela ◽  
Francisco Javier García-Orozco
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Pavement Design ◽  
Asphalt Pavements ◽  
Analysis And Design ◽  
Incremental Design ◽  
History Of ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Geotechnical Problems ◽  
Proper Analysis

Pavements are geotechnical problems; consequently, a geotechnical framework is useful to describe their constitutive elements. The design of asphalt pavements for streets and roads evolved from empiric to mechanistic-empiric (M-E) procedures throughout the 20th century. The mechanistic-empiric method, based on layered elastic theory, became a common practice with the publication of separate procedures by Shell Oil, Asphalt Institute, and French LCPC, among others. Since its origin, the M-E procedure can consider incremental pavement design but, only until the beginning of the 21st century, the computational power became available to practicing engineers. American MEPDG represents the state-of-the-art M-E incremental design procedure with significant advantages and drawbacks, the latter mainly related to the extensive calibration activities required to assure a proper analysis and design according to subgrade, climate, and materials at a particular location and for an intended level of reliability. Perpetual pavements are a subset of M-E designed pavements with a proven history of success for the particular conditions where they are warranted. No design method, either the most straightforward empirical approach or the most elaborated incremental mechanistic one, is appropriate without proper knowledge about the fundamental design factors and calibration of the performance models for each distress mode upon consideration.

The use of weigh-in-motion data in pavement design

2001 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-254
Author(s):  
B. Al Hakim ◽  
A. C. Collop ◽  
N. H. Thom
Keyword(s):  
Pavement Design ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Weigh In Motion

The use of weigh-in-motion data in pavement design

2001 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-254
Author(s):  
B. Al Hakim ◽  
A. C. Collop ◽  
N. H. Thom
Keyword(s):  
Pavement Design ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Weigh In Motion

Generating Site-Specific Axle Load Factors for the Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design Guide

2013 ◽  
Vol 2339 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiley Cunagin ◽  
Richard L. Reel ◽  
Mohammad S. Ghanim ◽  
Drew Roark ◽  
Michael Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Pavement Design ◽  
Frequency Spectra ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Load Frequency ◽  
Load Spectra ◽  
Weigh In Motion ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Truck Loading ◽  
And Cluster Analysis ◽  
Truck Weight

Use of the AASHTO DARWin-ME mechanistic–empirical pavement design software requires that truck loading data be provided in the form of normalized axle load frequency distributions (spectra). Default axle load frequency spectra are provided in the software. However, these default distributions were derived from national data and may not suit the needs of individual states. This study analyzed the Florida Department of Transportation's substantial database of truck weight data taken from its network of high-quality weigh-in-motion stations to determine whether site- or state-specific axle load spectra could be generated and how they should be applied. Several analytical procedures were developed and applied to the data, including analysis of variance and cluster analysis. The results of this work were used to develop Level 2 axle load spectra that could be applied to design sections. This paper presents detailed information about the traffic data requirements of the new guide, the process followed for deriving Florida's input values, and the resulting recommended values.

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