SERVICEABILITY AND DISTRESS METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE

Abstract

In this paper the fundamental aspects in the development and application of a methodology for predicting pavement performance are summarized in terms of three indices: (a) present serviceability index, (b) distress area index, and (c) distress severity index. A statistical procedure used for estimating the parameters of the performance relationships guarantees that the goodness-of-fit between predicted and observed data is maximized. The most salient feature of the proposed methodology is the use of an S-shaped curve that recognizes a change in the rate of deterioration of a pavement as the traffic level accumulates until rehabilitation is needed. Serviceability ratings, based on data obtained from 164 pavement test sections, are used to predict the performance of black-base, hot-mix, and overlay pavements. In addition, the proposed method can be used when pavement performance is ascertained in terms of area and severity distress ratings for several types of pavement distress such as rutting, flushing, raveling, alligator cracking, transverse cracking, longitudinal cracking, and patching.