Pavement design is a formidable challenge due to significant variations in roadway design constraints, locally available materials, environmental conditions, and cost considerations. For these reasons, the design of roadways has until recently been performed empirically by relying on performance statistics from previously constructed roadways. However, with the rise of the high-speed computer, semi-empirical methods have recently been developed, such as AASHTO’s Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). While MEPDG has made an attempt to implement sound scientific principles to the roadway design methodology, many effects have not yet been implemented within this new strategic tool.
In this poster, a computational model is described in detail and various pavement design examples are provided. It is shown herein via several example simulations that this new mechanistic-based model is capable of improving the accuracy of the pavement design process for both urban and rural roadways, using both conventional and recycled materials. These example simulations include predictions of both evolutionary pavement cracking and permanent damage as functions of cyclic loading. The results quantitatively demonstrate variations in pavement performance resulting from varying volume fractions of additives, fines, and aggregate, as well as asphalt layer thickness and base layer consolidation, all of which are critical to the production of accurate cost models.