Efforts by North Carolina Department of Transportation to Develop Mechanistic Pavement Design System

Abstract

A first generation mechanistic empirical pavement design procedure was developed using falling weight deflectometer deflections taken over a 3-year period at 16 test sections in Siler City, North Carolina. Information available for use in developing the procedure included deflection data, surface and air temperature, coring thicknesses at each test location, pavement performance records regarding rate of cracking, and traffic records. Jung's method, based on the curvature of the deflection bowl, was used to calculate strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer as a measure of fatigue. This calculated strain was used to obtain a calculated number of load repetitions to failure. Comparision of actual loads to failure with calculated loads to failure resulted in a table of shift factors by pavement type.