01043865

Component

Implementing mechanistic-empirical (M-E) pavement design approaches in practice, the need that the pavement performance level related to the limit state function such as fatigue cracking, rutting or thermal cracking can be controlled considering inherent variabilities associated with design input parameters and systematic bias of the design procedure is being more considerably presented. Even though mechanistic analysis in the current M-E design provide a more appropriate and realistic methodology for predicting the pavement performance, a method to consider the uncertainties in design is still needed in practical and simplified manner so that the pavement can be designed the most economically for a desired level of reliability. This paper presents the practical applications of principal reliability concepts to the M-E pavement design and a reliability-based design approach for the M-E flexible pavement design using overall and partial safety factor formats in an effort to design a pavement cross-section satisfying performance threshold with a target reliability during its intended design life. It is shown in this paper that the pavement sections designed with a reliability level using AASHTO 93 design guide do not have uniform structural reliability in terms of pavement mechanistic distress such as fatigue cracking and the uniform reliability can be achieved by the a reliability-based pavement design approach using overall and partial safety factors.

01042056

07-2777

English

19p

2007

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Figures (4) ; References (11) ; Tables (5)

Cracking; Flexible pavements; Mechanistic design; Pavement design; Pavement maintenance; Pavement performance; Pavements; Reliability; Rutting; Thermal fatigue

Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide

Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-2777

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2007 7:28PM