Flexible Pavement Design in Michigan: Transition from Empirical to Mechanistic Methods

Abstract

Michigan is rapidly moving toward adopting and using a mechanistic-empirical design for flexible pavements. To facilitate the transition from empirical to mechanistic design methods, the Michigan Department of Transportation contracted the development of software called the Michigan Flexible Pavement Design System (MFPDS). This software provides a holistic framework for analyzing and designing flexible pavements. MFPDS includes modules for AASHTO design, linear and nonlinear mechanistic analysis, backcalculation, and mechanistic design (including overlay design). The software incorporates enhanced elastic layer and finite element models within an easy-to-use Windows user interface and can be used on a routine basis. New response models to predict fatigue life and rut depth also were developed as part of this effort and are included in MFPDS. New pavements and overlays may be designed to limit predicted distresses to user-specified threshold values. The features of the mechanistic analysis and design approaches used are presented.