Effects of mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation on the performance of flexible pavement using ME design

TLDR

The study compares empirical and mechanistic–empirical flexible pavement design approaches and quantifies how mean annual temperature and precipitation affect pavement distresses using MEPDG software. Seventy‑six sites across 13 U.S. states were selected via virtual climate stations, and MEPDG was used to predict distresses—longitudinal, transverse, alligator cracking, rutting, and permanent deformation—while keeping pavement structure and materials constant.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to establish the difference between empirical and mechanistic–empirical approaches in the flexible pavement design and to quantify the effects of mean annual precipitation and temperature on the flexible pavement distresses using the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) software. Seventy-six specific locations from 13 states throughout the USA were selected based on different climate conditions using virtual climate stations based on the interpolation from the nearest weather stations prior to meeting the objectives. Subsequently, analysis was conducted based on the predicted distresses, including longitudinal cracking, transverse cracking, alligator cracking, asphalt concrete rutting and total pavement permanent deformation. Generally, the pavement structure and materials have been set as constant to control the effects of material on the results. On the basis of the MEPDG analysis, the longitudinal cracking of flexible pavement is significantly affected by both factors (temperature and precipitation), particularly in wet climatic regions. The mean annual temperature has a great influence on the alligator cracking, transverse cracking and permanent deformation of flexible pavement. However, neither factors demonstrated a significant impact on the predicted International Roughness Index of flexible pavement surfaces.