Analytically Based Approach to Rutting Prediction

Abstract

An analytically based (mechanistic-empirical) procedure was conducted to estimate the development of rutting in asphalt pavements as a function of both traffic loading and environment as defined by pavement temperatures. The procedure uses permanent strain determined for a representative asphalt concrete mix as a function of load repetitions, shear stress, and elastic shear strain. It combines multilayer elastic analysis for determining key shear stresses and strains in the asphalt concrete resulting from traffic loading to be used in the permanent strain expression with a time-hardening procedure for the accumulation of permanent strain as a function of both traffic loading and environment. The WesTrack test sections were used to calibrate the methodology, with results of rutting predictions evaluated for four different test sections from that experiment. Based on the results of the regression analyses, an expression can be used to determine coefficients for use in the permanent strain expression that reflect the permanent deformation characteristics of a specific mix as measured in repeated simple shear test at constant height. In addition to the WesTrack examples, results illustrated the use of the approach to predict rutting development in a controlled loading condition at 50°C (122°F) using the heavy vehicle simulator.

Prediction of rutting evolution in flexible pavement life cycle at the road network scale using an air-launched ground-penetrating radar system

“…The MEPDG was developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 1-37A [4] and has represented a major change within the traditional pavement design procedures, as it encompasses site-specific inputs of traffic, climate, subgrade, and existing pavement conditions, along with the possibility to consider changes in trucking, materials, construction, and design concepts. Other M-E models have been also developed in the literature and have provided very promising results [5]- [7].…”

“…In such a case study, all of the inputs comply with a Level 3 quality. In [5], an approach combining multilayer elastic analysis to determine key stress and strain values with the results of the WesTrack experiment (i.e., 24 three-layer test sections wherein only rutting could be identified) was developed. Its main goal was to define relevant parameters for evaluating the amount of the permanent strain at a depth of 50 mm at the outer edge of the tire.…”

Influence of tyre configuration on pavement response and predicted distress

“…The shear strain rutting model adopted in this study was developed by Deacon et al (2002) and Monismith et al (2006), which correlated the rutting depth to the shear stresses and shear strains in AC layer instead of vertical strains, as shown in the following equation:…”

Use of the Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design Guide and CalME to Mitigate Rutting in Asphalt Overlays of Concrete Pavements

“…The CalME mechanistic-empirical pavement design procedure, developed by the California Department of Transportation and UCPRC, uses a modified version of the shear-based procedure developed by Deacon et al (5) to predict accumulated rut depth in AC layers (6)(7)(8). This model considers the effects of temperature, material properties, load levels, and speed.…”