Mechanistic Analysis of Asphalt Pavements in Support of Pavement Preservation Decision-Making

Abstract

Modern roadways provide road users with a comfortable and safe ride to their destinations. Due to increasing traffic demands and maximum allowable loads, road authorities should also pay attention to the structural soundness of road pavements while seeking cost-effective and timely maintenance or minor rehabilitation activities. This means that a sustainable pavement preservation strategy is needed that includes an optimal pavement condition assessment to support the appropriate decision-making processes. To address this need, this research study proposes an approach to integrate Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) data and ground truth data to predict the long-term performance of flexible pavements. Appropriate mechanistic models that take into account the nature of Asphalt Concrete (AC) materials are used for the analysis to increase the accuracy of the results when it comes to protecting and extending pavement life. The results indicated that examining viscoelastic behavior for AC appears to be a more conservative approach for the response analysis, as well as the fatigue performance analysis, compared to the most conventional assumptions for linear elastic materials. In accordance with common sense, AC temperature was considered as a critical factor for the related investigation. Overall, it may not be a good and reliable practice to continue the process of pavement management and maintenance decisions based on the approach of only one analysis type.