Chapter 4.

Pavement Design
(Part 1)

CE 122.
Traffic and Highway Engineering
Pavement Purpose
Load support
Smoothness
Drainage

DC to Richmond Road in 1919 from the Asphalt Institute

 Pavement
Performance

Pavement
Performance Trends

Fig. 4.4 Performance Trends

AASHTO Guide for Design of
Pavements
 Load Quantification

Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL)

Converts wheel loads of various magnitudes and
repetitions ("mixed traffic") to an equivalent number
of "standard" or "equivalent" loads
Based on the amount of damage they do to the
pavement
Commonly used standard load is the 18,000 lb.
equivalent single axle load
 Pavement Types
Flexible Pavement
Hot mix asphalt (HMA)
pavements
Called "flexible" since the
total pavement structure
bends (or flexes) to
accommodate traffic
loads
Rigid Pavement
Portland cement
concrete (PCC)
pavements
Called rigid since PCCs
high modulus of elasticity
does not allow them
to flex appreciably
Flexible Pavement
Structure
Surface course
Base course
Subbase course
Subgrade
Flexible Pavement

Fig. 4.1 Typical flexible pavement cross section

Types of Flexible Pavement

Dense-graded

Open-graded Gap-graded
Flexible Pavement Design
Fig 4.5. Design chart for flexible pavements
Flexible Pavement Design
AASHTO Equation:

Eq. 4.1
 Flexible Pavement Design
W18 (loading)
Predicted number of equivalent single axle loads (ESALs)
over the pavements life.
Tables 4.1, 4.2, 4.3

ZR (seviceability probability)
Likelihood that pavement will perform at or above TSI level
Z-statistics
Table 4.4

So (overall standard deviation)

Takes into account designers inability to accurately estimate
variation in future 80.1 KN ESAL & statistical error
Typically from 0.30 to 0.5
 Flexible Pavement Design
SN (structural number)
Abstract number expressing structural strength Eq. 4.3
SN = a1D1 + a2D2m2 + a3D3m3
a1, a2, a3 = structural layer coefficients (Table 4.5)
D1, D2, D3 = thickness of wearing surface (2-4 inches), base
and sub base (4-10 inches)
M2, M3 = drainage coefficients for base and subbase (1.0 for
good drainage)

PSI (change in present serviceability index)

Change in serviceability index over the useful pavement life
Typically from 1.5 to 3.0

MR (subgrade resilient modulus)

Typically from 3,000 to 30,000 psi (10,000 psi is pretty good)
Pavement Design
Table 4.1 Axle-load equivalency factors for flexible
pavements, Single Axles, TSI=2.5
Flexible Pavement Design
Table 4.2 Axle-load equivalency factors for flexible
pavements, Tandem Axles, TSI=2.5
Flexible Pavement Design
Table 4.3 Axle-load equivalency factors for flexible
pavements, Triple Axles, TSI=2.5
Flexible Pavement Design
Table 4.4 Cumulative Percent Probabilities of
Reliability, R of the Standard Normal Distribution, and
Corresponding ZR
Flexible Pavement Design
Table 4.5 Structural Layer Coefficients
 Flexible Pavement Design
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1: STRUCTURAL NUMBER
DETERMINATION

A pavement is to be designed to last 10 years. The initial

PSI is 4.2 and the TSI (final PSI) is determined to be 2.5.
The subgrade has a soil resilient modulus of 103,430 kPa
(15,000 lb/in2). Reliability is 95% with an overall standard
deviation of 0.4. For design, the daily car, pickup truck, and
light van traffic is 30,000, and the daily truck traffic consists
of 1000 passes of single-unit trucks with two single axles
and 350 passes of tractor semi-trailer trucks with single,
tandem, and triple axles. The axle weights are:
 Flexible Pavement Design
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1: STRUCTURAL NUMBER
DETERMINATION
cars, pickups, light vans = two 8.9-kN (2000-lb)
single axles single-unit truck = 35.6-kN (8000-lb) steering, single axle
= 97.9-kN (22,000-lb) drive, single axle
tractor semi-trailer truck = 44.5-kN (10,000-lb) steering, single axle
= 71.2-kN (16,000-lb) drive, tandem axle
= 195.7-kN (44,000-lb) trailer, triple axle

M2 and M3 are equal to 1.0 for the materials in the

pavement structure. Four inches of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) is
to be used as the wearing surface and 10 inches of crushed
stone as the subbase. Determine the thickness required for
the base if soil cement is the material to be used.
 Flexible Pavement Design
SAMPLE PROBLEM: RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT
(SW/Homework)
A flexible pavement is constructed with 102 mm (4 inches) of hot
mix asphalt (HMA) wearing surface, 203 mm (8 inches) of
emulsion/aggregate-bituminous base, and 203 mm (8 inches) of
crushed stone subbase. The subgrade has a soil resilient modulus
of 68,950 kPa (10,000 lb/in2), and M2 and M3 are equal to 1.0 for
the materials in the pavement structure. The overall standard
deviation is 0.5, the initial PSI is 4.5, and the TSI is 2.5. The daily
traffic has 1080 89.0-kN (20-kip) single axles, 400 106.8-kN (24-
kip) single axles, and 680 177.9-kN (40-kip) tandem axles. How
many years would you estimate this 90% confident that your
estimate was not too high, and if you wanted to be 99%
confident that your estimate was not too high?
Rigid Pavement
Structure
Surface course
Base course
Subbase course
Subgrade
Rigid Pavement

Fig. 4.2 Typical rigid pavement cross section

 Types of Rigid Pavement
Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP)
 Types of Rigid Pavement
Continuously Reinforced Concrete
Pavement (CRCP)

Photo from the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute

Rigid Pavement Construction

Slipform

Fixed form
Rigid Pavement Design
Fig 4.7. Segment 1 of design chart for rigid
pavements
Rigid Pavement Design
Fig 4.8. Segment 2 of design chart for rigid
pavements
Rigid Pavement Design
AASHTO Equation:

Eq. 4.4
 Rigid Pavement Design
D (slab depth)

Sc (PCC modulus of rupture)

A measure of PCC flexural strength
Usually between 600 and 850 psi

Cd (drainage coefficient)
Relative loss of strength due to drainage characteristics and
the total time it is exposed to near-saturated conditions
Usually taken as 1.0
Rigid Pavement Design
J (load transfer coefficient)
Accounts for load transfer efficiency
Lower J-factors = better load transfer
Between 3.8 (undoweled JPCP) and 2.3 (CRCP with tied
shoulders)

Ec (PCC elastic modulus)

4,000,000 psi is a good estimate

k (modulus of subgrade reaction)

Estimates the support of the PCC slab by the underlying
layers
Usually between 50 and 1000 psi/inch
Rigid Pavement Design
Table 4.6 Axle-load equivalency factors for rigid
pavements, Single Axles, TSI=2.5
Rigid Pavement Design
Table 4.7 Axle-load equivalency factors for rigid
pavements, Tandem Axles, TSI=2.5
Rigid Pavement Design
Table 4.8 Axle-load equivalency factors for rigid
pavements, Triple Axles, TSI=2.5
 Rigid Pavement Design
Rigid Pavement Design Slab Thickness Determination
(Sample Problem)

A rigid pavement is to be designed to provide a service life

of 20 years and has an initial PSI of 4.4 and a TSI of 2.5.
The modulus of subgrade reaction is determined to be
0.0813 N/mm3 (300 lb/in3). For design, the daily car,
pickup truck, and light van traffic is 20,000; and the daily
truck traffic consists of 200 passes of single-unit trucks with
single and tandem axles, and 410 passes of tractor semi-
trailer trucks with single, tandem, and triple axles. The
weights are:
 Rigid Pavement Design
Rigid Pavement Design with Traffic Distribution Lane
(Sample Problem)
cars, pickups, light vans = two 8.9-KN (2000 lb) single axles
Single unit trucks = 44.5-KN (10,000 lb) steering, single axle
= 97.9 KN (22,000 lb) drive, tandem axle
Tractor semi-trailer trucks = 53.4 KN (12000 lb) steering, single axle
= 80.1 KN (18,000-lb) drive, tandem axle
= 222.4 KN (50,000 lb), trailer, triple axle

Reliability is 95%, the overall standard deviation is 0.45, the

concrete modulus of elasticity is 31. 03 GPa (4.5 million
ln/in2), the concretes modulus of rupture is 6210 kPa (900
lb/in2), the load transfer coefficient is 3.2, the drainage
coefficient is 1.0. Determine the required slab thickness.
 Rigid Pavement Design
Rigid Pavement Design with Traffic Distribution by Lane
(SW/Homework)

In 1996, a rigid pavement on a northbound section of

interstate highway was designed with a 304.8-mm (12-inch)
PCC slab, an Ec of 41.37 GPa (6 106 lb/in2), a concrete
modulus of rupture of 5,520 kPa (800 lb/in2), a load
transfer coefficient of 3.0, an initial PSI of 4.5, and a
terminal serviceability index of 2.5. The overall standard
deviation was 0.45, the modulus of subgrade reaction was
0.05149 N/mm3 (190 lb/in3), and a reliability of 95% was
used along with a drainage coefficient of 1.0.
 Rigid Pavement Design
Rigid Pavement Design with Traffic Distribution by Lane
(SW/Homework)

The pavement was designed for a 20-year life, and traffic

was assumed to be composed entirely of tractor semi-trailer
trucks with one 71.2-kN (16-kip) single axle, one 88.9-kN
(20-kip) single axle, and one 155.7-kN (35-kip) tandem axle
(the effect of all other vehicles was ignored). The interstate
has four northbound lanes and was conservatively designed.
How many tractor semi-trailer trucks, per day, were
assumed to be traveling in the northbound direction?
 Rigid & Flexible Pavement
Design
Design Life Comparison (SW/Homework)

A roadway has 400 80.1-kN (18-kip) single axles, 200

106.8-kN (24-kip) tandem axles and 100 177.9-kN (40-kip)
triple axles per day. The subgrade CBR is 2 and the
roadway pavement is designed for an overall standard
deviation of 0.4, a reliability of 99 percent and the initial PSI
is 4.5 and the TSI is 2.5. One newly constructed section of
this roadway is a rigid pavement designed with a 229-mm
(9-inch) slab with a modulus of rupture of 4827 kPa (700
lb/in2) a modulus of elasticity of 27.58 GPa (4.0 106
lb/in2), and a joint transfer coefficient of 3.0.
 Rigid Pavement Design
Design Life Comparison (SW/Homework)

Another newly constructed section of the same roadway is a

flexible pavement with a 127-mm (5-in) hot-mix asphalt
(HMA) surface, 254-mm (10-in) dense- graded crushed
stone base and a 229-mm (9-in) crushed-stone subbase. If
the roadway has four lanes in each direction and is
conservatively designed, which of the pavement sections
will last longer and by how many years (all drainage
coefficient are 1.0)?