MAP 1053/SAB 4813

Pavement Design & Construction/

Advanced Highway Engineering
Semester 1, 2013/14
Dr. Haryati Yaacob

Office Location
M50- Room 02-34
07-5538666/ 019-7341405

haryatiyaacob@utm.my
yaacob.h@gmail.com

Topic 1 Flexible Pavement Design:

Topic 2 Rigid Pavement Design

-

AASHTO Method,
Asphalt Institute Method,
ATJ 5/85 (1985)
Road Note 31
ATJ 5/85 (revised 2013) ( Self Study and Group Assignment)

Concrete pavement in Malaysia

Concrete pavement elements
Subgrade and sub-base design
Shoulder options
Design of rigid pavement
- AASHTO Method
- PCA Method
Joints
Steel design

Topic 3 Surface Dressing

Topic 4 Interlocking Block Pavement (Self Study and Group Assignment)

Recommended Text
Huang, Y.H., Pavement Analysis and Design,
Prentice Hall, 1993.
Freddy L. Roberts et. Al., Hot Mix Asphalt
Materials, Mixture Design and Construction,
NAPA, 1996.
Yoder & Witczak, Principles of Pavement
Design, Wiley Publications, 1975.

Flexible Pavement
Structure
Surface course
(waterproof, anti-skid)
Base course
Subbase course
Subgrade

Types of Flexible Pavement

Dense-graded

Open-graded

Gap-graded

Pavement types

Type of Pavement & their Load

Distribution

Pavement Types & How They

Effect the Subgrade

Pavement Design

Design the pavement thick enough to ensure the

strength of the subgrade is not exceeded for the loads
to which it will be exposed

Pavement Design

When a pavement is too thin the strength of the subgrade is

exceeded and the pavement experiences high strain causing it
it to fatigue and eventually fail

Pavement Design

Design the pavement thickness to ensure

bending results in STRAIN < 100
(NCHRP 9-38)

Structural Design of Flexible

Pavements

Surface Layer
Binder Layer
Granular Base Layer
Granular Subbase Layer
Subgrade

Design Procedures

AASHTO Method
Asphalt Institute Method
ATJ 5/85
Road Note 31
JKR 2006

AASHTO METHOD

Development of Design
AASHO Road Test
Basis for most currently acceptable design
methods
Importance of traffic loads and repetition

Design has been largely an empirical

process
Current AASHTO Procedure

AASHTO Design Method

AASHTO is still a statistically based
empirical design method
Original models revised and extended to
make them more widely applicable

AASHTO Design Variables

Time
Traffic
Reliability
Materials
Environment
Serviceability

Time
Performance Period
Time from initial
constrxn to first rehab
Time between rehabs

Analysis Period
Time that any design
must cover
Often equal to
performance period

Highway

Analysis
Period

High Volume Urban

30 - 50

High-Volume Rural

20 - 50

Low-volume paved

15 - 25

Low-volume
aggregate surface

10 - 20

Determining Vehicle
Damage Factors (Truck or ESAL Factors)
Average damaging effect of vehicle
Consider axle weight distribution for
particular vehicle type
Expresses ESALs/Vehicle
20

ESALs
Equivalent Single Axle Loads
Used for highway pavements to convert mixed
traffic to a number of standard axles for design
Defined as:
Total # of applications of a standard axle (generally
18,000 lb single) required to produce the same
damage or loss of serviceability as a number of
applications of one or more different axle loads and/or
configurations over life of pavement
21

ESAL Calculation
ESALi = Current Traffic x Growth Factor x 365 x ESAL Factor
m

ESALtotal = ESALi
i =1

22

Growth Rates
Large errors can result in ESAL calcs from poor
estimates of future traffic
Best estimates are obtained by forecasting
vehicle types separately
Forecasting techniques include

Historical trends (regression)

Engineering judgment
Compound interest equation
Straight line projections
23

Predict Future
How fast will traffic grow?
What is the design level of traffic?
Examine historical trends
Develop best estimate of future growth
rate

Apply growth factor to current volume

(1 + g ) n 1
Growth Factor =
g

24

25

Lane and Directional Distributions

Typical Assumptions
Directional distribution = 50%
Lane Distribution
# Lanes/Direction

%Traffic In Design Lane

100

80-100

60-80

4 or more

50-75
26

Lane and Directional Distributions

Typically design for heaviest loaded lane
Develop best information regarding lane
distribution

27

Conversion of mix traffic to ESALs

Reliability
Definitions
Reliability = 1 P[Failure]
The reliability of a pavement designperformance process is the probability that a
pavement section designed using the process
will perform satisfactorily over the traffic and
environmental conditions for the design
period.
1993 AASHTO Guide

Variability
Need design standard deviation
Account for variability of all input variables

Recommended values
S0 = 0.45 (flexible)
S0 = 0.35 (rigid)

Reliability
Recommended Reliability
Functional Class

Urban

Rural

Interstate/Freeway

85-99.9

80-99.9

Principle Arterials

80-99

75-95

Collectors

80-95

75-95

Local

50-80

50-80

Serviceability

Materials
Need to characterize stiffness
E, Mr

Account for seasonal variability

Determine structural coefficients

Environment
Need to consider freeze/thaw and swelling
of soils
AASHTO has an established procedure
We will not go through the procedure

Date

28-Dec

28-Nov

29-Oct

29-Sep

30-Aug

31-Jul

1-Jul

1-Jun

2-May

2-Apr

3-Mar

1-Feb

Elastic Modulus, MPa

Seasonal Effects on Unbound Layers

1000

100

10

Seasonal Effects on HMAC

Cell 1 - Mn/ROAD (1993-1996)

Modulus, MPa

100000
10000
1000
100
0

30

60

90

120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

Day of Year

AASHTO Design Values

Select average values for everything but
not subgrade
Compute relative stiffness of subgrade for
design

Effective Subgrade Modulus/ Effective

Roadbed Soil Resilient Modulus, Mreff

Definition: an equivalent modulus that

would result in the same damage if
seasonal modulus values were
actually used

Finding Mreff
Find seasonal modulus every month
Non destructive defection testing

Finding Mreff
Find relative damage, uf for each season
Uses AASHTO Damage Equation
f = 1.18x108MR-2.32

Determine weighted average uf

Find Mreff corresponding to uf

Structural Number
SN = a1D1 + a2m2D2 + + anmnDn

Functions of layer thickness, layer coefficients

and drainage coefficients

Structural Coefficients
ai = measure of relative ability of a unit
thickness of a given material to function as
a structural component of the pavement

Asphalt Concrete Structural Coefficient , a1

Granular Base Layer Coefficient , a2

Granular Subbase Layer Coefficient , a3

Drainage Coefficient
Depends on quality of drainage and
availability of moisture
mi Values for Modifying Structural Layer Coefficients
(Untreated Base and Subbase Materials)
% Time Saturated
95%
Quality
Water
Removed
Excellent 2 hours
Good
1 day
Fair
1 week
Poor
1 month
Very Poor Never Drain

< 1%

1 -5 %

5 - 25%

> 25%

1.40 - 1.35
1.35 - 1.25
1.25 - 1.15
1.15 - 1.05
1.05 - 0.95

1.35 - 1.30
1.25 - 1.15
1.15 - 1.05
1.05 - 0.80
0.95 - 0.75

1.30 - 1.20
1.15 - 1.00
1.05 - 0.80
0.80 - 0.60
0.75 - 0.40

1.20
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40

Drainage
Percent time the layer approaches
saturation :

P = (S + R) / 365 * 100
P = % time saturated
S = days of spring thaw
R = remaining days with rain if pavement will
drain to 85% in 24 hours, otherwise use days
of rain x drainage time in days

Design Equation
Based on road test
Determines number of ESALs before PSI
is reached
PSI
log
4.2 1.5

+ 2.32 log M R 8.07

log W18 = Z R S 0 + 9.36 log(SN + 1) 0.20 +
1094
0.4 +
(SN + 1)5.19

Design Procedure
Determine SN required above each layer
Find thickness to satisfy SN above each
layer

AASHTO Layer Thickness Determination

SN3

SN2

SN1

Surface E1 a1
Base
E2 a2 m2
Subbase
E3 a3 m3
Roadbed Soil

SN= a1D1 + a2D2m2 + a3D3m3

D1 SN1/a1
D2 ( SN2- a1D1)/ a2m2
D3 (SN3- a1D1-a2D2m2)/a3m3

D1
D2
D3

Example
Calculate D1, D2 and D3. Given:
E1= 400,000psi; E2= 30, 000psi; E3= 11,000
a1= 0.42; a2=0.14; a3= 0.08
m2=m3=1.3
Mreff = 5,700 psi
w18= 18.6 x 106
R = 95%
So= 0.35
PSI = 2.1

Example

An urban interstate flexible pavement consist of dual carriageway with two

lanes per direction is to be designed using AASHTO 1993 design guide.
The flexible pavement is designed to cater with ESAL value of 7.0 x 106
(both directions) for the next of 20 years. Total relative damage due to 12
months soil seasonal modulus values was recorded as 3.82. The drainage
was judged be good and it is estimated that the subbase and base for the
pavement structure will be exposed to moisture levels approaching
saturation 10 percent of the time. Additional information is given below:
Resilient modulus of the asphalt concrete at 68F =300 000 psi
The granular base CBR = 70% and Mr= 28 000 psi
An untreated granular subbase has a CBR =15% and Mr = 12 000 psi
Standard deviation = 0.45
Initial serviceability = 4.5
Terminal serviceability = 2.5
Please clearly state all your assumptions. Guidelines are given in Tables
and Figures below.

Asphalt Institute Method

Mechanistic-Empirical Design

Design Criteria

Stress or Strain

Mechanics of materials coupled with

observed performance

Number of Loads Until Failure

Performance Equations
Fatigue

3.291

1
0.854
11% AC
N f = 0.0796
E*
t

VTM 5%
20% Cracking at AASHO Road Test

Rutting

1
N r = 1.365 10
v
9

4.477

Rut
Need to have good materials, compaction

Traffic Analysis
Use ESALs for detailed analysis
Same process as AASHTO
SN = 5
pt = 2.5

Materials
Resilient modulus and Poissons ratio
Poissons Ratio
Soils = 0.45
Other materials = 0.35

Soils modulus determination

***Discussion based on handouts give.
Determine the design level from modulus
measurements
Charts account for seasonal changes

Design level function of traffic

Build in reliability safety factor
ESAL

Design Value %

<10,000

60

10,000 1,000,000

75

>1,000,000

87.5

Base Materials
Should meet requirements below
Test

Subbase

Base

CBR, min

20

80

R-Value, min

55

78

LL, max

25

25

PI, max

NP

Sand Eq., min

25

35

P200

12

Design charts
Design charts were developed based
Temperature
3 Regions
New York: 45F
North Carolina: 60F
Arizona: 75F

Pavement Type
Full depth HMA
HMA over Emulsified Asphalt Bases- Three types
I: dense graded aggregate, similar to HMA
II: semiprocessed aggregate
III: mixes with sands or silty sands

HMA over untreated aggregate Base

HMA and emulsified Asphalt over Untreated Aggregate Base

AI Design Procedure

Select pavement type

Select region
Determine traffic
Determine MR
Use design charts to find thickness

Example
MR = 10, 000 psi , ESAL = 106, Determine
thickness :
Full depth HMA
HMA surface over type II emulsified asphalt
base
HMA over 8 untreated aggregate base
HMA and emulsified asphalt mix over 8
untreated aggregate base

AI Minimum Thicknesses
ESALs

Min HMA over Type I

Min HMA over Type II

& Type III

104

105

1.5

106

107

>107

Total HMA thickness, including both surface and base course

Combine thickness of HMA surface course and emulsified asphalt base

course.
I mixes with processes dense graded agg which should be mixed in a plant and have
properties similar to HMA
II- mixes with semiprocessed, crusher run, pit run or bank run agg
III mixes with sands or silty sand

ATJ 5/85 Design Method

Data required
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Design period proposed 10 years

JKR Hierarchy
Average Daily Traffic (opening year) - PLH
Percentage of Commercial Vehicle - Pc
Traffic Growth Rate - r
Sub-grade strength - CBR
Terrain

Design Procedure
1.
2.
3.

Estimate Vo = PLH x (1/2) x 365 x (Pc/100)

Determine Vc= Vo [(1 + r)n - 1] / r
Convert to ESA, ESA = Vc x e ( e = 2.52)
Guide for equivalent factor, e

Design Procedure
4. Check capacity (Table 4.2, 4.3, 4.4- refer
handouts)
5. Determine Sub-grade CBR
In case of varying CBR for 1m depth of sub-grade, mean CBR is
determined as follows:
CBReff = [(h1CBR11/3 + h2CBR21/3 + + hnCBRn1/3) / (1000)]3
where:
CBReff
CBR1, CBR2, CBRn
h 1 , h2 , hn
h 1 + h2 + + hn

= effective CBR
= CBR of soil strata
= thickness of soil strata (mm)
= 1000 mm

6.

Design Procedure- Determine TA from nomograph

Design Procedure
7.

Calculate thickness for each layer (Table 4.5, 4.6, 4.7,

refer handouts)
TA = SN = a1D1 + a2 D2 + ... + anDn

Design Procedure

Design Procedure
8. Sketch thickness obtained

Design Example
JKR 05, carriageway width = 7.5m, shoulder = 2.0m
ADT
= 6600
Pc
= 15 %
r
=7%
Sub-grade CBR = 5 %
Rolling Terrain
Material:
Surfacing = AC
Road base = wet mix Macadam
Sub-base = sand

Road Note 31

Road Note 31

Designed for tropical and sub-tropical

countries to carry up to 30M CSA
Heavy vehicle > 3 ton
Equivalence: e = (L/Ls)4.5

Design procedure
1. Estimate CSA for design life >>> T (Table
4.8, refer handouts)

Design procedure
2. Assess sub-grade strength >>> S (Table 4.9, 4.10,
refer handouts)

Design procedure
3.

Select combination of material and

thickness from structure catalogues
based on T and S

Structure catalogue: Granular road base/surface dressing

Structure catalogue: Granular road base/structural surface

Design Example
1. ADT = 250/day.dir, Pc = 55 %, r = 5 %,
CBR = 7 %
2. CSA = 12M, PI > 45, WT = 2m below
formation