U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
Project Information | ||
Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-14-0126 | |
Project Name: | Characterizing Existing Hot-Mix Asphalt Layer Damage for Mechanistic Pavement Rehabilitation Design | |
Project Status: | Active | |
Start Date: | July 21, 2014 | |
End Date: | January 21, 2017 | |
Contact Information | ||
Last Name: | Wiser | |
First Name: | Larry J | |
Telephone: | 202-493-3079 | |
E-mail: | larry.wiser@dot.gov | |
Office: | Office of Infrastructure Research and Development | |
Team: | Long-Term Pavement Performance Team [HRDI-30] | |
Program: | Long-Term Pavement Performance | |
Project detail | ||
Roadmap/Focus area(s): | Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap | |
Project Description: | The increasing focus on existing hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement rehabilitation by State departments of transportation (DOTs) as HMA pavements are the predominant pavement type in the United States, State DOTs require local calibration of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) HMA overlay of existing HMA pavement methodology. Although this methodology is a great improvement on the 1993 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) HMA overlay design procedure, it has significant shortcoming, such as: (1) The Level 1 procedure for characterizing existing HMA pavement structural capacity/condition based on falling weight deflectometer (FWD) deflection testing, coring, extraction of cores, and lab characterization of the HMA cores binder and volumetric properties has to date not been calibrated. (2) The Level 2 and 3 procedures, though calibrated, are based on pavement surface distress and condition rating making it at best highly subjective. The need to review, enhance as needed, and calibrate the MEPDG Levels 1, 2, 3 procedures for characterizing existing HMA pavement structural capacity/condition. The purpose of this research is as follows: (1) Develop and calibrate objective methodologies for characterizing existing HMA pavement damage for HMA and portland cement concrete (PCC) overlay design that will, as a minimum, be enhancements to current MEPDG Level 1, 2, and 3 methodologies. (2) The new methodologies must be compatible with the Interim AASHTO MEPDG Level 1, 2, and 3 methodologies. (3) The new methodologies must be practical and implementable within the current AASHTO Interim MEPDG framework. | |
Goals: | Develop a new calibrated existing flexible (new hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and HMA overlaid HMA) pavement damage model for use in ME design. The new model will be based on objective deflection-based in situ measurement of pavement condition rather than current procedures that mainly consider only distress/condition at the pavement surface. By using a deflection-based model, the condition of the entire pavement structure prior to rehabilitation is assessed. | |
Product Type: | Draft standard, specifications, or guidelines Research report | |
Test Methodology: | Review, enhance as needed, and calibrate the mechanistic pavement rehabilitation design procedures for characterizing existing hot-mix asphalt pavement structural capacity/condition. | |
Other Information: | LTPP Analysis Plan | Objective 8 | Outcome A | Project 3 | Priority High | Sequence 1 | |
Partners: | Federal Highway Administration: Office of Research, Development, and Technology - Office of Infrastructure Research and Development; Role(s): Advisory, Technical, Other stakeholder | |
Expected Benefits: | Provide documentation outlining how the end products can be adopted by State DOTs and the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). | |
Deliverables: | Name: Final report and guidelines. Product Type(s): Research report, Draft standard, specifications, or guidelines Description: The deliverable is a final report that will include a standalone appendix describing the new Level 1, 2, 3 existing hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement damage assessment methodology. The standalone appendix will be developed and written in a manner to make it understandable and easy to implement in a software tool such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Pavement ME Design software. | |
FHWA Topics: | Roads and Bridges--Pavement and Materials | |
TRT Terms: | Pavement Performance Research Pavement Design Rehabilitation (Maintenance) Infrastructure Pavements |
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FHWA Disciplines: | Pavement and Materials |
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Subject Areas: | Design Pavements Research |
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