Comparing Flexible Pavement Performance Using Emerging Analysis Tools

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, a variety of tools have been developed to assist in the analysis of flexible pavement service life in the United States. Although the output from many of the approaches is similar, each tool varies in the amount of testing effort, materials, and equipment necessary to arrive at the resulting predictions. Building upon the findings from research conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 9-22B, this study focused on comparing flexible pavement performance predictions using three emerging analysis tools. One of the pavement analysis software packages, which considered the standard of, predicts performance in terms of incremental distresses and damage accumulation during a pavement’s service life. The other two programs are performance-related specification (PRS) tools that predict pavement performance in terms of service life factors. Three different asphalt mixtures were evaluated including a conventional mixture and two unconventional mixtures m...