Estimating Optimum Timings for Treatments on Flexible Pavements with Surface Rutting

Abstract

The evaluation of the pavement preservation interventions is the most important component of a pavement management system. There is a need for a rational methodology to evaluate pavement preservation alternatives to maximize both project- and network-level benefits. Lack of adequate guidance on the timing of preventive maintenance treatments was the main motivation for this study. On the basis of different effectiveness criteria, mathematical models to estimate optimum timing (OT) of maintenance treatments are developed to alleviate surface rutting. The developed model based on the long-term benefits was found to be a rational and a practical tool to estimate OT for various maintenance treatments by adjusting its parameters. The sensitivity and practical usage of the models are demonstrated by using the SPS-3 pavement sections in the paper. Although the modeling approach uses the existing understanding, the model can estimate OT of a fix on the basis of the pretreatment pavement rutting performance, jump, and slope adjustment factors for various treatment types. The required data for various treatments can be obtained from historical performance data collected for pavement management purposes. The results show that slurry and chip seals can be applied on younger pavements when rutting is minimal. However, thin overlay applications on older pavements with higher rutting levels will maximize the long-term benefits.