DARWIN

DARWIN.
RTF DARWin Page 1 of 49

Contents
Agency Information
Flexible Structural Design
Flexible Structural Design (Views)
Flexible or Rigid ESAL alculation
Ve!icle lass Distribution
Rigid Structural Design
Rigid Structural Design (Views)
Life ycle osts
File "enu #$tions
alculate "odule and #$tions
%el$ File & About DAR'in
Flexible Structural Design
alculateStructural (umber
alculateESAL a$acity
S$ecified )!ic*ness Design "et!od
Layered Analysis )!ic*ness Design "et!od
#$timi+ed )!ic*ness Design "et!od
ESAL alculation
Roadbed Soil Resilient "odulus
S!oulder Design
Flexible Design (Views)
ross Section
Sensiti,ity
ESAL Capacity
)!e general use of t!e AAS%)# design e-uation for flexible $a,ements is to determine t!e re-uired
structural number for an estimated ESAL loading. Anot!er a$$lication of t!e model is to determine/ for a
$a,ement wit! a gi,en structural number/ t!e allowable number of ESAL a$$lications t!at t!e $a,ement
can carry to terminal ser,iceability. )!is $ro,ides t!e ability to assess t!e load carrying ca$acity of a gi,en
$a,ement design.
0ro1ect Descri$tion
Structural (umber
Initial Ser,iceability
)erminal Ser,iceability
Reliability Le,el (2)
#,erall Standard De,iation
Roadbed Soil Resilient "odulus ($si)
alculate
Evapotranspiration
E,a$otrans$iration is t!e total water loss from t!e soil/ including t!at by direct e,a$oration and t!at by
trans$iration from t!e surfaces of $lants.
Load Equivalency Factors LEF
Load e-ui,alency factors (LEF) were de,elo$ed at t!e AAS%# Road )est to con,ert ,arying axle loads
and configurations to a standard axle load and configuration. LEFs re$resent t!e ratio of t!e number of
re$etitions of any axle load and axle configuration to cause t!e same reduction in ser,iceability as t!e
standard 34&*i$ single&axle load. For exam$le/ for a 35 in rigid $a,ement wit! a terminal ser,iceability of
6.7/ it was found t!at one $ass of a 85&*i$ single&axle load was e-ual to 4.9: a$$lications of an 34&*i$
single&axle load. In ot!er words/ one $ass of t!e 85&*i$ single&axle load does nearly : times as muc!
damage as one $ass of an 34&*i$ single&axle load.
DARWIN.RTF DARWin Page 2 of 49
Load e-ui,alency factors are used to determine truc* factors for eac! class of truc*. ;sing axle load
distributions/ t!e truc* factors can be generated by s$ecific truc* classification or by an a,erage ,alue.

Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ A$$endix D/ $. D&3.
!rowt" Factor on #nitial $ruc% Volu&e !F$'S
)!e >rowt! Factor on Initial )ruc* Volume (>F)?S) is a means of accounting for t!e ex$ected growt! in
t!e truc* traffic o,er t!e initial $erformance $eriod of a facility.
!rowt" Factor on $F Esti&ate !F$F
)!e >rowt! Factor on t!e )ruc* Factor (>F)F) accounts for t!e ex$ected growt! in t!e truc* factor used
o,er t!e initial $erformance $eriod of a facility. )!is growt! factor can be a$$lied to indi,idual truc*
classifications used in t!e rigorous calculation $rocedure or to t!e a,erage initial truc* factor used in t!e
sim$le calculation $rocedure.
Design Li(e
)!e design life is t!e $eriod of time for w!ic! an analysis is to be conducted. It is also referred to as t!e
analysis $eriod. )!e following are recommended analysis $eriods for ,arious $a,ements based on t!eir
functional classification<
)ig"way Analysis *eriod
Conditions (years)
%ig! ,olume urban 85 & 75
%ig! ,olume rural 65 & 75
Low ,olume $a,ed 37 & 67
Low ,olume 35 & 65
aggregate surface
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 6.33/ $. II&9.
+,value
)!e R&,alue (resistance ,alue) is a measure of t!e lateral resistance of a material to a !ori+ontal load.
)!e R&,alue met!od of -ualifying soil strengt! is $rimarily used in t!e 'estern states and ,alues obtained
from suc! tests !a,e been correlated wit! @R and "R results. '!ile it is recommended t!at designers
establis! t!eir own correlations/ t!e following relations!i$s are $resented in t!e AAS%)# Design >uide<
"R A A B @ C (R&,alue)
'!ere< A A 996 to 3377 and
@ A 8=: to 777
For fine&grained soils/ wit! an R&,alue less t!an or e-ual to 65/
"R A 3555 B 777 C (R&,alue)
may $roduce satisfactory results.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 3.7/ $. I&37.
C-+
)!e @R (alifornia @earing Ratio) test measures t!e resistance of a material to $enetration/ and is a
commonly used measure of strengt! for unbound granular materials. #ne relations!i$ between @R and
"R t!at !as been found to be ,alid for soils wit! a soa*ed @R of 35 or less is<
"R A 3755 C @R
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 3.7/ $. I&3D.
.ncon(ined Co&pressive Strengt"
)!e unconfined com$ressi,e strengt! is a measure of a materialEs ability tio wit!stand an axial
com$ressi,e force a$$lied to a standard cylinder. Standard AS)" testing $rocedures s!ould be followed.
/ars"all Stability
)!e "ars!all Stability is t!e maximum load resistance in $ounds w!ic! t!e standard test s$ecimen will
de,elo$ at 3D5 degrees Fa!ren!eit w!en sub1ected to load by a standardi+ed $rocedure.
*er&eability
0ermeability is t!e rate of diffusion of a fluid t!roug! a $orous body under standard conditions of area/
t!ic*ness/ and $ressure.
Saturation
Saturation is t!e $oint at w!ic! t!e greatest $ossible amount of a substance !as been absorbed0
+igid Structural Design
Design )!ic*ness
ESALs
Foint S$acing
R0 Longitudinal Steel Design
R0 and FR0 )rans,erse Steel Design and FR0 Longitudinal Steel Design
)iebar Steel Design
Load )ransfer
Foint Design
S!oulder Design
Additional 0a,ement Layer
Effecti,e "odulus of Subgrade Reaction (*)
Roadbed Soil Resilient "odulus Values
Design $"ic%ness
)!e design t!ic*ness of a rigid $a,ement is calculated based on t!e in$uts s$ecified in t!e AAS%)#
Design >uide. )!e out$ut is t!e t!ic*ness of t!e rigid $a,ement 0 slab. Furt!er information on t!e
determination of t!e design slab t!ic*ness is a,ailable in section 8.6.6 and A$$endix I of t!e AAS%)#
Design >uide. )!e design e-uation used to calculate t!e t!ic*ness is found on $. II&D= and II&D9.
0ro1ect Descri$tion
34&*i$ ESALs o,er Initial 0erformance 0eriod
64 Day "ean 0 "odulus of Ru$ture ($si)
64 Day "ean Elastic "odulus of Slab ($si)
"ean Effecti,e *&,alue ($siGin)
Load )ransfer oefficient
#,erall Drainage oefficient
Stage onstruction
alculate
$"ird,point Loading
In t!ird&$oint loading/a load is a$$lied at t!e t!ird&$oints of a beam s$ecimen. )!e test s$ecimen is
sub1ected to a $ure moment/ wit! +ero s!ear/ in t!e middle t!ird of t!e s$an.
Center,point Loading
In center&$oint loading/ t!ere are substantial s!ear forces as well as un*nown stress concentrations at t!e
$oint of load a$$lication/ w!ic! act along t!e line on w!ic! t!e s$ecimen generally fails.
ESALs
As an alternati,e to t!e calculation of t!e 0 slab t!ic*ness/ t!e AAS%)# design e-uation can be used
to calculate t!e number of ESALs t!at a gi,en $a,ement is ex$ected to carry. '!ereas in t!e calculation
of t!e 0 slab t!ic*ness/ ESALs are an in$ut/ in t!e calculation of ESALs t!e 0 slab t!ic*ness
becomes an in$ut.
0ro1ect Descri$tion
Slab )!ic*ness for 0erformance 0eriod
64 Day "ean 0 "odulus of Ru$ture ($si)
64 Day "ean Elastic "odulus of Slab ($si)
"ean Effecti,e *&,alue ($siGin)
Load )ransfer oefficient
#,erall Drainage oefficient
Stage onstruction alculate
+igid Structural Design (Views)
ross&Section
Sensiti,ity
Cross,Section
A gra$!ical screen re$resentation of t!e cross&section designed in flexible and rigid structural modules can
be ,iewed in t!e cross&section o$tion. In flexible design/ t!e t!ic*ness design met!od must be s$ecified/
as t!ere are t!ree o$tions to c!oose from. In rigid design/ in order for a com$lete cross&section to be
dis$layed/ data must be in$ut in t!e Additional 0a,ement Layers 'indow. Eac! designed or in$ut layer is
dis$layed wit! a different cross&!atc!ing and is described by user&designated material ty$es and
calculated or in$ut layer t!ic*ness.
Sensitivity
)!e Sensiti,ity Analysis feature $ro,ides a gra$!ical screen dis$lay s!owing t!e effect of a ,ariation in any
of t!e in$uts for t!e two structural design windows on t!e calculated out$ut. )!e in$ut ,alue is $lotted
along t!e x&axis and t!e out$ut ,alue is $lotted along t!e y&axis. )!e in$ut ,alue t!at is dis$layed is t!e
one in w!ic! t!e cursor is acti,e. A se$arate gra$! can be generated for eac! of t!e in$uts (wit! t!e
exce$tion of ser,iceability/ for w!ic! only a $lot of t!e c!ange in ser,iceability is a,ailable).
)!e das!ed lines re$resent t!e current in$ut and out$ut ,alues. )!e range of ,alues along t!e x&axis are
indicati,e of t!e generally acce$ted allowable range of in$ut ,alues. )!e dis$lay in sensiti,ity is a window
t!at can be resi+edH by doing so/ t!ere is room along eac! axis for labeling additional data $oints.
File /enu 1ptions
)!e following is a list of o$tions a,ailable to t!e user t!roug! t!e DAR'in IFile "enuI<
(ew "odule
#$en "odule
lose "odule
Sa,e
Sa,e As
Sa,e 'or*s$ace
Sa,e As Default
0rint
Agency Information
Exit
Calculate /odule and 1ptions
alculate ("odule) & Flexible Structural Design
alculate (#$tions) & Flexible Structural Design
Flexible Structural Design Selections
Flexible Structural Design & ross Section View
ESAL alculations
)ruc* lass Distribution
alculate ("odule) & Rigid Structural Design
alculate (#$tions) & Rigid Structural Design
Rigid Structural Design Selection
Life ycle ost (#$tions)
Life ycle ost & 0ay Item List
Life ycle ost & (ew 0ay Item
Life ycle ost & 0ay Item Selection
ESAL Calculations
)!is o$tion allows t!e user to calculate ESALs for a ,ariety of situations for Flexible Structural Design or
Rigid Structural Design. )!e user !as t!e c!oice of selecting Sim$le or om$ound >rowt! and t!e Sim$le
or Rigorous met!od of calculation. In t!e Sim$le "et!od/ a single truc* factor is a$$lied to all of t!e truc*s
in t!e ,e!icle stream. )!e Rigorous "et!od $ermits any or all ,e!icle classifications to be assigned its
own truc* factor and growt! rate.
created wit! unregistered e,aluation co$y of %L06R)F
Ve"icle Class Distribution
In t!e rigorous ESAL calculation $rocedure/ Accumulated 34 *i$ ESALs are calculated as a sum of t!e
accumulated ESALs in eac! ,e!icle classification. #nce t!e Sim$leGom$ound and Rigorous o$tions are
c!osen/ t!e user is automatically sent to t!e )ruc* lass Distribution screen u$on acti,ating t!e Ve!icle
lass Distribution button.
*rint
)!e 0rint o$tion is t!e means by w!ic! a !ard co$y of t!e in$uts and out$uts for eac! module may be
obtained. )!ere are se,eral features wit!in t!is module about w!ic! t!e user s!ould be aware. #n t!e
first $age of e,ery module t!at is $rinted/ t!e information entered in Agency Designation will be $rinted as
a !eader. )!is information will not/ !owe,er/ be dis$layed on subse-uent $ages. In Flexible "odule 0rint
#$tions/ t!e following are t!e ma1or !eadings for $rint to$ics< "odule/ Layer Design/ Views/ and Functions.
In Format/ it can be s$ecified t!at eac! new to$ic begins on a new $age. )!is o$tion is a,ailable in all of
t!e $rint modules. In t!e Rigid Structural Design "odule 0rint #$tions/ t!e following are t!e !eadings for
t!e $rint to$ics< "odule/ 0a,ement Design #$tions/ and Functions. Life ycle ost 0rint #$tions are
"odule and #t!er Data.
'it!in eac! of t!ese $rint o$tions/ t!ere are a number of in$ut and out$ut to$ics t!at can be clic*ed on or
off. '!en clic*ed on and t!e 0rint *ey is selected/ t!e selected to$ics will begin $rinting. It s!ould be
noted t!at a $rinter must be !oo*ed u$ to t!e com$uter and installed $ro$erly wit!in t!e 'indows system
before DAR'in files can be $rinted.
Eac! module !as a se$arate set of $rint menu o$tions t!at $ermit t!e user to s$ecify w!ic! in$uts and
out$uts are to be $rinted. )!ese can be clic*ed on and off as desired.
Flexible "odule 0rint #$tions
Rigid Structural Design "odule 0rint #$tions
Life ycle osts 0rint #$tions
Flexible /odule *rint 1ptions
)!e following is an outline of t!e $rint o$tions t!at are a,ailable for t!e Flexible Design module. )!ese are
all as$ects of t!e design $rocedure for w!ic! t!ere may or may not be data in$ut. lic*ing on t!e box next
to t!e a$$ro$riate item will eit!er acti,ate or deacti,ate t!e $rint routine for t!at item. In t!e format box/
t!e user may s$ecify w!et!er t!e out$ut is continuous or w!et!er a $age brea* is inserted after eac! item.
/odule
"odule In$uts/ #ut$uts/ and #$tions
Layer Design
S$ecified Layer Design
Layered Analysis Design
#$timi+ed Layer Design
Views
S$ecified Layer Design
Layered Analysis Design
#$timi+ed Layer Design
Sensiti,ity
Functions
Roadbed Soil Resilient "odulus
ESAL alculation
S!oulder Design
For&at
0age brea* after eac! in$utJ
Cancel
*rint
+igid Structural Design /odule *rint 1ptions
)!e following is an outline of t!e $rint o$tions t!at are a,ailable for t!e Rigid Structural Design module.
)!ese are all as$ects of t!e design $rocedure for w!ic! t!ere may or may not be data in$ut. lic*ing on
t!e box next to t!e a$$ro$riate item will eit!er acti,ate or deacti,ate t!e $rint routine for t!at item. In t!e
format box/ t!e user may s$ecify w!et!er t!e out$ut is continuous or w!et!er a $age brea* is inserted
after eac! item.
/odule
*ave&ent Design 1ptions
Foint S$acing
Longitudinal Steel Design
)rans,erse Steel Design
)ie @ar Steel Design
Load )ransfer
Foint Reser,oir and Sealant Design
S!oulder Design
Additional 0a,ement Layers
Functions
ESAL alculation
Effecti,e "odulus of Subgrade Reaction
For&at
Cancel
*rint
Li(e Cycle Costs *rint 1ptions
)!e following is an outline of t!e $rint o$tions t!at are a,ailable for t!e Life ycle osts module. )!ese
are all as$ects of t!e design $rocedure for w!ic! t!ere may or may not be data in$ut. lic*ing on t!e box
next to t!e a$$ro$riate item will eit!er acti,ate or deacti,ate t!e $rint routine for t!at item. In t!e format
box/ t!e user may s$ecify w!et!er t!e out$ut is continuous or w!et!er a $age brea* is inserted after eac!
item.
/odule
Kuantities
Initial onstruction osts
Re!abilitation osts
Sal,age Value
1t"er Data
0ay Item Library
For&at
Cancel
*rint
2ew /odule
)!ere are t!ree calculations t!at can be $erformed wit!in DAR'in. )!ese calculations are organi+ed in
se$arate modules under t!e following !eadings<
3. Flexible Structural Design
6. Rigid Structural Design
8. Life ycle osts
Selecting (ew "odule will allow t!e selection of one of t!ese t!ree modules.
1pen /odule
Instead of starting a new module/ a $re,iously created file can be reo$ened. )!e o$en module brings u$ a
window wit! all of t!e modules dis$layed t!at are created in DAR'in and stored in t!e default directory.
Access to ot!er directories and dis* dri,es so t!at modules stored in directories ot!er t!an t!e default
directory can be o$ened is also $ossible.
Close /odule
A module t!at is in use can be remo,ed from t!e screen wit! t!e lose o$tion. If t!e file !as been
c!anged at all/ t!e user is $rom$ted as to w!et!er t!e c!anges are to be c!anged. If IyesI is selected/ t!e
file will be u$dated before it is closed. If t!e c!anges are not sa,ed/ any data entered since t!e file was
o$ened will be lost. ;nc!anged files will close immediately w!en t!is o$tion is selected.
Save
)!e Sa,e feature is used to sa,e t!e contents of a module. It will u$date a $re,iously loaded module wit!
any new data t!at are in$ut/ wit!out c!anging t!e name of t!e module. As t!e original file is being
o,erwritten/ if it is desired to *ee$ t!e originally loaded file/ t!e Sa,e As feature must be used and t!e new
file be gi,en a name t!at is different from t!e original file.
Save As
An already sa,ed file can be modified and gi,en a different name using t!e Sa,e As feature. '!en
wor*ing wit! an existing file t!at is being modified and it is desired to *ee$ bot! t!e original file intact and
retain t!e modifications/ Sa,e As $rom$ts t!e user to gi,e t!e current file a new name/ t!us *ee$ing t!e
original file unc!anged. If t!e Sa,e o$tion is selected/ t!e currently acti,e file is sa,ed wit! its $re,ious
name. If t!ere is no $re,ious name (i.e. t!e file was created wit!out modifying a $re&existing file)/ t!e Sa,e
As o$tion is automatically broug!t u$.
Save 3or%space
Sa,e 'or*s$ace is a useful feature t!at allows you to sa,e t!e entire wor*s$ace on your com$uter.
Rat!er t!an close and sa,e eac! acti,e module se$arately/ Sa,e 'or*s$ace will u$date all of t!e acti,ities
t!at !a,e been modified/ as well as sa,ing t!e configuration in w!ic! t!ey were last arranged on t!e
screen. )!e user will be $rom$ted to sa,e eac! c!anged module. )!e wor*s$ace can t!en be restored
by using t!e #$en o$tion/ and selecting t!e filename t!at was gi,en to t!e wor*s$ace. Sa,ed wor*s$aces
are gi,en t!e extension C.D''.
Save as De(ault
)!e first time eac! of t!e modules is used in t!e $rogram/ t!e screens are dis$layed wit! null ,alues/ or no
entries. 'it! subse-uent use/ eac! time a module is started/ t!e in$ut ,alues dis$layed on t!e screen are
called u$ from a default file created by t!e user/ $ro,ided t!at t!is o$tion is selected. )o create a default
file for eac! module/ after entering all of t!e ,alues t!at are desired to be dis$layed wit! eac! use of t!at
module/ select t!e Sa,e as Default o$tion. DAR'in automatically creates a file wit! t!e extension C.dfl.
)!e default file can be c!anged at any time by using t!e Sa,e as Default o$tion wit! different in$uts.
If it is desired to sa,e se,eral different default files for a single module/ it is suggested t!at t!e different
files be created wit! easily recogni+ed names t!at can be called u$ from t!e file directory. '!ile strictly
s$ea*ing t!ese will not be default files (t!ey will not !a,e a dfl extension) t!en can be used in t!e same
manner as default files.
Exit
Exit is t!e file o$tion t!at is selected to lea,e DAR'in. If t!ere are no modules t!at are acti,e/ w!en Exit
is selected t!e $rogram will be exited immediately. If t!ere are one or more acti,e modules/ t!e user will
first be $rom$ted to sa,e any modules t!at !a,e not yet been sa,ed.
Agency #n(or&ation
)!e Agency Information selection $ermits t!e in$ut of default information about t!e user and t!e userEs
organi+ation. )!is information includes< an Agency Designation/ w!ic! is t!e name of t!e agency or
com$anyH a Street AddressH ity/State/ and Li$ odeH and Design Engineer. )!is information will be
out$ut as a !eader for any $rinted out$ut.Flexible or +igid ESAL Calculation
)!ere are two met!ods of obtaining an ESAL calculation for eit!er flexible or rigid design. In t!e eit!er
calculation met!od/ re-uired in$uts include t!e initial $erformance $eriod/ t!e initial two&way daily traffic/
t!e number of lanes in one direction/ t!e $ercent of all truc*s in t!e design direction/ and t!e $ercent of all
truc*s in t!e design lane. In t!e Isim$leI ESAL calculation/ additional in$uts include t!e $ercent of !ea,y
truc*s (F%'A class 7 or !ig!er)/ t!e a,erage initial truc* factor/ an annual truc* factor growt! rate/ an
annual truc* ,olume growt! rate/ and w!et!er growt! is sim$le or com$ounded. In t!e IrigorousI
$rocedure/ a $ercent of AD)/ annual $ercent growt!/ a,erage initial truc* factor/ and t!e annual $ercent
growt! in t!e truc* factor are in$ut in order to obtain an accumulated 34&*i$ ESAL for t!e $erformance
$eriod. In eit!er case/ t!e calculated ,alue can be ex$orted to t!e design module.
#nitial *er(or&ance *eriod
)!e Initial 0erformance 0eriod is t!e ex$ected or desired life of t!e $a,ement/ in years/ from t!e time t!e
$a,ement is constructed until it re-uires ma1or re!abilitation/ suc! as a structural o,erlay or reconstruction.
It is to carry t!e traffic in t!e initial $erformance $eriod t!at a $a,ement is ty$ically designed.
#nitial $wo,way Daily $ra((ic
)!e initial A,erage Daily )raffic (AD)) is t!e 6D&!our two&directional ,e!icle count for a new $a,ement
w!en it is first o$ened to traffic. )!e count is gi,en in ,e!icles $er day (,$d) and includes all F%'A ,e!icle
classification ty$es. )!e initial two&way AD) will be modified by a growt! factor o,er t!e design $eriod.
If t!e new roadway is to be reconstructed in t!e same location as an existing $a,ement/ traffic ,olumes
before reconstruction may be used. If t!e roadway is a new facility/ estimates can be made using counts
from nearby roadways and from antici$ating t!e ,olume of traffic t!at a new roadway may generate. An
agencyEs traffic $lanning de$artment will best be able to $ro,ide t!ese estimates.
4 )eavy $ruc%s F)3A Class 5 or !reater
)!e $ercentage of truc*s/ )?S/ is t!e number of ,e!icles in F%'A lassification 7 and abo,e in t!e traffic
stream. De$ending on t!e facility/ t!is number could range from as little as 6 or 8 $ercent to as !ig! as 75
$ercent or more. F%'A Ve!icle lassification 8 ($anels and $ic*u$s) and D (buses) do not contribute
significantly to t!e design 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications and are t!erefore generally ignored.
F%'A Ve!icle lassifications are gi,en below<
F)3A
Ve"icle
Classi(ication Description
3 "otorcycles
6 0assenger ars
8 #t!er two&axle/ four&tire
single unit ,e!icles
D @uses
7 )wo&axle/ six&tire single
unit truc*s
= )!ree&axle single unit truc*s
9 Four or more axle single unit
truc*s
4 Four or less axle single trailer
truc*s
: Fi,e&axle single trailer truc*s
35 Six or more axle single trailer
truc*s
33 Fi,e or less axle multi&trailer
truc*s
36 Six axle multi&trailer truc*s
38 Se,en or more axle multi&trailer
truc*s
Ref< )raffic "onitoring >uide/ ;.S. De$artment of )rans$ortation/ Federal %ig!way Administration/ #ffice
of %ig!way 0lanning/ Fune 3:47.
4 $ruc%s in Design Lane
In a multi&lane facility/ truc* traffic will be found in all of t!e lanes. )o design a $a,ement structure/ t!e
traffic in t!e most !ea,ily&used lane is of interest/ and t!at lane is referred to as t!e design lane. )!e lane
distribution factor accounts for t!e $ercentage of truc*s t!at are tra,eling in t!e design lane/ w!ic! is
generally t!e outside lane. Recommendations from t!e AAS%)# Design >uide on design lane $ercent
truc* distribution factors are as follows<
2o0 o( Lanes *ercent o( 67,%ip ESAL
in eac" directionin design lane
3 355
6 45 & 355
8 =5 & 45
D 75 & 97
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# >uide/ 0art 6/ Section 6.3.6/ $. II&:.
4 $ruc%s in Design Direction
)!e 0ercent )ruc*s in t!e Design Direction is a directional distribution factor a$$lied to t!e two&directional
AD) to account for any differences in truc* traffic ,olumes or weig!ts by direction. >enerally/ t!e
directional distribution factor is about 75 $ercent/ indicating t!at one&!alf of t!e traffic tra,els in eac!
direction. %owe,er/ certain cities/ resort areas/ industrial areas/ and ot!er locations may cause a
dis$ro$ortionate directional distribution/ in w!ic! one direction of tra,el will !a,e larger traffic ,olumes or
weig!ts. In t!is case/ t!e direction wit! t!e !ig!er ,olume s!ould be considered as t!e design direction.
Average #nitial $ruc% Factor (ESALs8truc%)
)!e truc* factor re$resents t!e number of 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications caused by t!e single $assing of a
gi,en truc*. For t!e sim$le calculation $rocedure/ t!e truc* factor is a mean ,alue a,eraged o,er all truc*
classifications (F%'A ,e!icle lassification 7 and abo,e). For t!e rigorous calculation $rocedure/ a truc*
factor is in$ut for eac! F%'A ,e!icle classification. )!e calculation of a truc* factor for an indi,idual
,e!icle classification is illustrated in t!e exam$les below (all numbers are fabricated)<
All $ruc% Classi(ications (Class 5 and above)
Single Axle Load (umber of Axles Load E-ui,alency Factor ESALs
5 & 6555 36 5.556 5.56D
6555 & D555 368 5.56 6.D=
D555 & =555 777 5.36 ==.=
etc.
)andem Axle Load (umber of Axles Load E-ui,alency Factor ESALs
5 & 6555 36 5.5556 5.556D
6555 & D555 88 5.56 5.==
D555 & =555 8=7 5.86 33=.4
etc.
)otal 34=.77
(umber of truc*s weig!ed A 373
A,erage truc* factor A 34=.77G373 A 3.687 ESALs G )ruc*
F)3A Ve"icle Classi(ication 9
5 & 6555 6 5.556 5.556
6555 & D555 68 5.56 5.D=
D555 & =555 69: 5.36 88.D4
etc.
5 & 6555 5 5.5556 5.55
6555 & D555 39 5.56 5.8D
D555 & =555 7== 5.86 343.36
etc.
)otal 637.D5
(umber of truc*s weig!ed A :9
lass : truc* factor A 637.D5G:9 A 6.66 ESALs G )ruc*
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# >uide/ A$$endix D/ $. D&3.
Annual $ruc% Factor !rowt" +ate (4)
Fust as t!e number of ,e!icles using a $a,ement tends to increase wit! time/ so can t!e weig!t of t!ose
,e!icles increase. )!e Annual )ruc* Factor >rowt! Rate allows t!e in$ut of a $ercent increase to
accommodate t!e increase in t!e weig!t of truc*s o,er time. It is ex$ressed as a $ercentage and can
ty$ically range from 5 to as !ig! as 8 to D $ercent annually. )!is factor is a$$lied to t!e formula in w!ic!
ESALs are calculatedH growt! in t!e truc* factor will result in a dramatic increase in t!e growt! of ESALs
o,er t!e life of a $a,ement.
Annual $ruc% Volu&e !rowt" +ate (4)
)!e calculation of ESALs o,er t!e design life of a $a,ement re-uires t!e in$ut of t!e number of truc*s
ex$ected to be carried by t!e $a,ement. #ften an initial ,alue is used for total traffic/ modified by a
$ercent growt! in t!e traffic ,olume. )!e in$ut of an Annual )ruc* Volume >rowt! Rate allows t!e
designer to s$ecify an annual increase in t!e number of truc*s only/ w!ic! may more accurately model t!e
growt! $attern on some $a,ements.
!rowt" +ate
Si&ple !rowt"
)!e Sim$le >rowt! Rate/ a$$lied to an AAD)/ is an estimate of t!e annual $ercent growt! in t!e ,olume of
traffic. As an exam$le/ if t!e AAD) is 35/555 and t!e sim$le growt! rate is 7 $ercent/ it is estimated t!at
eac! year t!e AAD) will grow by 755 ,e!icles. )!us after t!e first year/ t!e AAD) will be 35/755/ after t!e
second year it will be 33/555/ and so on.
Co&pound !rowt"
)!e com$ound growt! rate/ a$$lied to an AAD)/ is an estimate of t!e annual $ercent growt! in t!e ,olume
of traffic. om$ounding t!e growt! rate means t!at t!e growt! for any gi,en year is a$$lied to t!e ,olume
during t!e $receding year. For a com$ound growt! rate of 7 $ercent and an AAD) of 35/555/ t!e AAD) in
t!e first year would be 35/755/ in t!e second year it would be 35/755 B 5.57 x 35/755 A 33/567/ in t!e t!ird
year it would be 33/567 B .57 x 33/567 A 33/79=/ and so on. )!e formula used to calculate com$ound
growt! is<
>F A (3 B i)CCn
w!ere<
>F A a growt! factor w!ic! is multi$lied by t!e initial ,alue
i A t!e annual growt! rate/ and
n A t!e $eriod of interest/ in years
/et"od
Si&ple $ra((ic Calculation /et"od
)!e sim$le traffic calculation $rocedure $ro,ides an estimate of t!e 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications t!roug!
a$$lications of an a,erage truc* factor/ )F/ for all truc*s. Since t!e truc* factor is an a,erage ,alue/ it may
not $roduce accurate results/ de$ending on t!e distribution of t!e truc* axle weig!ts. In t!e sim$le
calculation met!od/ t!e contribution to t!e o,erall ESALs of ,e!icles in classes 3&D is not considered.
+igorous $ra((ic Calculation /et"od
)!e Rigorous alculation 0rocedure follows a $rocedure similar to t!e Sim$le alculation 0rocedure but
brea*s down t!e ESAL calculation by ,e!icle ty$e. It re-uires t!e ex$ected number of ,e!icles wit!in
eac! classification and utili+es s$ecific truc* factors for eac! indi,idual truc* ty$e. For assistance in
determining a$$ro$riate truc* factors for eac! ,e!icle classification/ consult A$$endix D of t!e AAS%)#
Design >uide or t!e F%'A )raffic "onitoring >uide.
Copy +esult to /odule
A ,alue !as been calculated in t!is screen t!at can be ex$orted to t!e main $rogram as an in$ut. Select
t!is o$tion to directly ex$ort t!e result of t!at calculation.
Ve"icle Class Distribution
)!e Ve!icle lass Distribution "odule is used w!en calculating ESALs for Sim$le or om$ound >rowt!
using t!e Rigorous "et!od.
Class
F%'A Ve!icle lassifications are gi,en below<
F)3A
Ve"icle
Classi(ication Description
3 "otorcycles
6 0assenger ars
8 #t!er two&axle/ four&tire
single unit ,e!icles
D @uses
7 )wo&axle/ six&tire single
unit truc*s
= )!ree&axle single unit truc*s
9 Four or more axle single unit
truc*s
4 Four or less axle single trailer
truc*s
: Fi,e&axle single trailer truc*s
35 Six or more axle single trailer
truc*s
33 Fi,e or less axle multi&trailer
truc*s
36 Six axle multi&trailer truc*s
38 Se,en or more axle multi&trailer
truc*s
Ref< )raffic "onitoring >uide/ ;.S. De$artment of )rans$ortation/ Federal %ig!way Administration/ #ffice
of %ig!way 0lanning/ Fune 3:47.
4 $ruc%s
)!e traffic stream is made u$ of a mix of ,e!icles/ including automobiles/ motorcycles/ buses/ and many
different ty$es of truc*s. )!e F%'A !as de,elo$ed a means of classifying t!e ,e!icles in t!e traffic
stream according to categories. )!ere are currently 38 F%'A categories used for t!e $ur$ose of
classifying ,e!icles t!at use t!e !ig!way. In t!e rigorous ESAL calculation $rocedure/ t!e $ercent truc*s is
t!at $ercentage of t!e total number of ,e!icles t!at consists of truc*s of t!e s$ecified F%'A lass.
Annual 4 !rowt"
Eac! ,e!icle class can increase inde$endently of t!e ot!ers. For exam$le/ a $a,ement near a truc*
transfer station mig!t !a,e !ea,y usage from one s$ecific truc* ty$e. )!e $ercent growt! for eac! ,e!icle
can be s$ecified in order to accommodate suc! ,ariations in $a,ement use.
Average #nitial $ruc% Factor $F
)!e truc* factor re$resents t!e number of 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications caused by t!e single $assing of a
gi,en ,e!icle. For t!e sim$le calculation $rocedure/ t!e truc* factor is a mean ,alue a,eraged o,er all
truc* classifications (F%'A ,e!icle lassification 7 and abo,e). For t!e rigorous calculation $rocedure/ a
truc* factor is determined for eac! F%'A ,e!icle classification. )!is is illustrated in t!e exam$les below
(all numbers are fabricated)<
All $ruc% Classi(ications (Class 5 and above)
5 & 6555 36 5.556 5.56D
6555 & D555 368 5.56 6.D=
D555 & =555 777 5.36 ==.=
etc.
5 & 6555 36 5.5556 5.556D
6555 & D555 88 5.56 5.==
D555 & =555 8=7 5.86 33=.4
etc.
)otal 34=.77
(umber of truc*s weig!ed A 373
A,erage truc* factor A 34=.77G373 A 3.687 ESALs G )ruc*
F)3A Ve"icle Classi(ication 9
5 & 6555 6 5.556 5.556
6555 & D555 68 5.56 5.D=
D555 & =555 69: 5.36 88.D4
etc.
5 & 6555 5 5.5556 5.55
6555 & D555 39 5.56 5.8D
D555 & =555 7== 5.86 343.36
etc.
)otal 637.D5
(umber of truc*s weig!ed A :9
lass : truc* factor A 637.D5G:9 A 6.66 ESALs G )ruc*
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# >uide/ A$$endix D/ $. D&3.
Annual 4 !rowt" in $ruc% Factor
Fust as t!e number of ,e!icles using a $a,ement tends to increase wit! time/ so can t!e weig!t of t!ose
,e!icles increase. )!e Annual )ruc* Factor >rowt! Rate allows t!e in$ut of a $ercent increase to
accommodate t!e increase in t!e weig!t of ,e!icles o,er time. It is ex$ressed as a $ercentage and can
ty$ically range from 5 to as !ig! as 8 to D $ercent annually. )!is factor is a$$lied to t!e formula in w!ic!
ESALs are calculatedH growt! in t!e truc* factor will result in a dramatic increase in t!e growt! of ESALs
o,er t!e life of a $a,ement.
Accu&ulated 67' ESALs 1ver *er(or&ance *eriod
As t!e $ercentage of eac! truc* classification to t!e o,erall truc* $ercentage is s$ecified in t!e rigorous
ESAL calculation/ it is $ossible to calculate t!e contribution to t!e o,erall ESALs of eac! ,e!icle
classification. )!is contribution is s!own in t!is column.
$otal ESALs
)!e total ESALs are calculated based on t!e sum of t!e ESALs contributed by eac! ,e!icle classification.
C+C* Longitudinal Steel Design
ontinuously Reinforced oncrete 0a,ements (R0) must !a,e longitudinal steel. Longitudinal
reinforcing steel is not intended to $re,ent t!e occurrence of crac*sH rat!er/ its $ur$ose is to !old tig!tly
toget!er t!ose crac*s t!at do occur.
)!e design of longitudinal reinforcement for R0 is based on in$uts of t!e concreteEs indirect tensile
strengt!/ concrete s!rin*age at 64 days/ concrete coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion/ reinforcing bar or wire
diameter/ steel coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion/ steel wor*ing stress/ and t!e design tem$erature dro$.
)!e a$$roac! followed in DAR'in is described in detail in section 8.D.6 of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide. In
addition to t!e calculation of t!e $ercent steel based on t!e allowable steel stress/ limiting criteria based
on crac* s$acing and crac* widt! are included. )!is design $rocedure will result in a minimum $ercent
steel and a maximum $ercent steel to meet t!e limiting criteria. )!e lowest number of bars of steel
re-uired to $ro,ide an actual $ercent steel falling wit!in t!is range is calculated. )!e out$ut is t!e actual
number of bars re-uired and t!e actual $ercent steel re$resented by t!at number of bars.
It s!ould be noted t!at t!e design of a reinforced concrete $a,ement does not lead to t!e reduction in
t!ic*ness of t!e 0 slab.
:7,day Concrete #ndirect $ensile Strengt" (psi)
Steel reinforcement design is based on t!e tensile strengt! of concrete deri,ed from t!e indirect tensile
test/ w!ic! is co,ered under AAS%)# )3:4 and AS)" D:=. )!e strengt! at 64 days s!ould be used.
)!e indirect tensile strengt! is ty$ically about 4= $ercent of t!e ,alue obtained from t!e concrete modulus
of ru$ture test using t!ird&$oint loading.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.7.6/ $. II&85.
Concrete S"rin%age at :7 Days in8in
Drying s!rin*age in t!e concrete from water loss needs to be considered in reinforcement design.
S!rin*age is affected by cement content/ t!e ty$es of admixtures/ t!e curing met!od/ t!e aggregates/ and
curing conditions. )!e ,alue of s!rin*age at 64 days is used for t!e design s!rin*age ,alue/ and an
estimate of t!e s!rin*age ,alue/ based on t!e 64&day concrete indirect tensile strengt!/ can be obtained
from t!e table below.
:7,day #ndirect
$ensile Strengt" psi S"rin%age in8in
M 855 5.5554
D55 5.555=
755 5.555D7
=55 5.5558
N 955 5.5556
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 6.7.6/ $. II&85 and )able 6.:.
Concrete $"er&al Coe((icient o( Expansion (6;,<in8in8oF)
)!e coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion is a measure of !ow muc! t!e dimensions of a material c!ange w!en
sub1ected to a c!ange in tem$erature. )!is is es$ecially im$ortant in R0/ as t!e steel must be designed
to resist t!e c!ange in slab dimensions caused by tem$erature c!anges. oncreteEs coefficient of t!ermal
ex$ansion ,aries wit! suc! factors as t!e water&cement ratio/ concrete age/ cement content/ and relati,e
!umidity. %owe,er/ t!e ty$e of coarse aggregate in t!e mix !as t!e greatest im$act on t!e concreteEs
coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion. Some guidelines for a$$ro$riate coefficients are $resented below/ based
on different coarse aggregate ty$es. It s!ould be noted t!at t!is c!art is under re,iew and s!ould be used
wit! caution.
$ype o( Coarse Concrete Coe((icient o(
Aggregate $"er&al Expansion (6;,<in8in8oF)
Kuart+ =.=
Sandstone =.7
>ra,el =.5
>ranite 7.8
@asalt D.4
Limestone 8.4
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.7.6/ $. II&85/ )able 6.35.
Dia&eter o( Longitudinal +ein(orce&ent (in)
)!e designer is allowed to c!ose among four si+es of steel/ ranging from OD to O9. #f concern is t!e
selection of ade-uate steel to meet bond reinforcements and to control crac* widt!s. )!e diameter s!ould
also be ade-uate so t!at corrosion/ s!ould it occur/ will not significantly reduce t!e steel cross section.
)y$ically/ O7 and O= deformed bars are used for longitudinal reinforcement in R0. Recall t!at t!e
diameter of a bar is its bar number di,ided by 4.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.7.6/ $. II&85&3.
+ein(orce&ent Steel $"er&al Coe((icient o( Expansion (6;,<in8in8oF)
sub1ected to a c!ange in tem$erature. ;nless t!e designer !as s$ecific *nowledge of a coefficient for t!e
reinforcing steel to be used/ a ,alue of 7.5 x 35&=inGinGoF may be assumed for design $ur$oses.
Design $e&perature Drop (oF)
)!e tem$erature dro$ used in reinforcement design is t!e difference between t!e a,erage concrete curing
tem$erature and a design minimum tem$erature. )!e a,erage concrete curing tem$erature may be ta*en
as t!e a,erage daily !ig! tem$erature during t!e mont! t!at t!e $a,ement will be constructed. )!e design
minimum tem$erature is defined !ere as t!e a,erage daily low tem$erature for t!e coldest mont! during
t!e $a,ement life. If not readily a,ailable/ suc! information may be obtained from ;.S. >o,ernment
weat!er records.
$ensile Stress Due to Early Loading (psi)
onstruction e-ui$ment or ot!er !ea,y truc* traffic a$$lied to a $a,ement early in its life can cause stress
in a $a,ement w!ic! must be accounted for in t!e design $rocess. )!e magnitude of t!is stress is based
on t!e slab t!ic*ness/ w!eel load/ and t!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction. Values can be obtained
from t!e design c!art found in t!e AAS%)# Design >uide/ $. II&79/ and range from about 375 to =55 $si.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.D.6/ $. II&78.
Allowable Crac% 3idt" (in)
)!e limiting criterion on crac* widt! is based on a consideration of s$alling and water $enetration. )!e
allowable crac* widt! s!ould not exceed 5.5D in/ and t!is is t!e default ,alue in t!e $rogram. %owe,er/
researc! suggests a ,alue between 5.56 and 5.567 in may be more a$$ro$riate. )!e smaller t!e crac*
widt!/ t!e better c!ance t!ere is for good $erformance of t!e designed $a,ement.
Steel !rade (%si)
Limiting criteria are $laced on t!e steel stress to guard against steel fracture and excessi,e $ermanent
deformation. )!e steel grade (also *nown as t!e ultimate tensile strengt!) is used as an in$ut in t!e steel
design $rocess. )!is ,alue is in$ut in *si and commonly would range between 65 and :5 *si/ wit! ,alues
between D5 and 45 *si being more ty$ical.
Lane 2u&ber
Lanes are numbered from t!e outer edge of t!e $a,ement in toward t!e median. )!e outermost lane is
number 3. )!e s!oulder is not assigned a lane number.
Lane 3idt" ((t)
)!e $ro,ision of a lane widt! in longitudinal reinforcement design allows t!e calculation of t!e number of
bars $er lane/ based on t!e calculated bar s$acing.
-ar Dia&eter
)!e bar diameter is t!e bar si+e di,ided by 4. )!us t!e diameter of a O8 bar is 8G4 or 5.897 inc!es. 'ire
diameters are a,ailable from t!e manufacturer. )!e a,ailable o$tions for t!is in$ut are< 3G6I/ 7G4I/ 8GDI/
9G4I.
/ini&u& 4 Steel
)!e minimum $ercent steel is calculated on t!e basis of two criteria< crac* widt! and limiting steel stress.
A minimum and maximum $ercent steel are obtained from t!e limiting criteria on crac* s$acing. )!e
!ig!est minimum is used as t!e minimum $ercent steel in furt!er calculations and is s!own as an
intermediate out$ut.
/axi&u& 4 Steel
)!e maximum $ercent steel is calculated on t!e basis of t!e limiting criteria on crac* s$acing. If t!e
maximum $ercent steel is lower t!an t!e !ig!est minimum $ercent steel/ t!e design in$uts must be
c!anged until a realistic solution is obtained. !anges can be made in t!e bar si+e and steel strengt! to
obtain a realistic solution.
Actual 4 Steel
#nce a number of bars is selected t!at is between t!e minimum and maximum/ t!e actual $ercent steel in
t!e $a,ement can be calculated. It is t!e total cross&sectional area of longitudinal steel in t!e $a,ement
ex$ressed as a $ercentage of t!e $a,ement cross&section.
/ini&u& = -ars
)!e minimum number of bars in t!e $a,ement is calculated from t!e minimum $ercent steel/ and is based
on t!e cross&sectional area of one bar and t!e $a,ement cross&section. It is not an integer.
/axi&u& = -ars
)!e maximum number of bars in t!e $a,ement is calculated from t!e maximum $ercent steel/ and is
based on t!e cross&sectional area of one bar and t!e $a,ement cross&section. It is not an integer.
Actual = -ars
)!e actual number of bars is t!e smallest integer ,alue t!at is between t!e minimum number of bars and
t!e maximum number of bars. #nce t!e actual number of bars is calculated/ t!at number is used to
calculate t!e actual $ercent steel also.
C+C* and >+C* $ransverse Steel Design and >+C* Longitudinal Steel Design
)!e a$$roac! used to calculate longitudinal steel design for FR0 and trans,erse steel design for FR0
and R0 is identical. )!e following text/ t!erefore/ a$$lies to steel design for all t!ree cases/ wit!
s$ecific assistance a$$lied to eac! indi,idual case w!en a$$ro$riate.
)!e inclusion of trans,erse steel in continuously reinforced concrete $a,ement (R0) may be
a$$ro$riate if soil ,olume c!anges are ex$ected. )rans,erse reinforcement is intended to !old toget!er
any longitudinal crac*s w!ic! may form. @ot! trans,erse reinforcement and longitudinal reinforcement are
generally used in 1ointed reinforced concrete $a,ements. )o calculate t!e a$$ro$riate $ercent steel/ t!e
following e-uation is useful<
0s A P(L x F)G6fsQ x 355
w!ere<
L A t!e $er$endicular distance between free edges/
F A t!e slab friction factor/ and
fs A t!e steel wor*ing stress.
A nomogra$! w!ic! sol,es t!is e-uation is found on $. II&7D of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide. It is im$ortant
to remember t!at in t!e calculation of t!e trans,erse distance between free longitudinal edges/ if tie bars
are $laced at a longitudinal 1oint/ t!at 1oint is not considered a free edge.
)o con,ert from a $ercent steel to a steel s$acing/ t!e following e-uation is used<
R A PAsG(0t x D)Q x 355
w!ere<
R A t!e steel s$acing/ in inc!es/
As A t!e cross&sectional area of t!e selected reinforcing steel / in in6/
0t A t!e $ercent steel/ and
D A t!e slab t!ic*ness.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art III/ Section 8.D.8/ $. II&=7H nomogra$! Figure 8.4/ $. II&7D.
Lane 2u&ber
Lanes are numbered from t!e outer edge of t!e $a,ement in toward t!e median. )!e outermost lane is
number 3. )!e s!oulder is not gi,en a lane number.
Lane 3idt" ((t)
)!e $ro,ision of a lane widt! in t!e longitudinal reinforcement design of 1ointed reinforced concrete
$a,ements (FR0) allows t!e calculation of t!e number of bars $er lane/ based on t!e calculated bar
s$acing.
1uter S"oulder 3idt" ((t)
)!e outer s!oulder is ad1acent to lane 3. )!e widt! of t!e outer s!oulder s!ould be entered in feet.
$ied Lane
A tied lane or s!oulder is a lane t!at !as tie bars (deformed steel bars or connectors) embedded across a
1oint in a rigid slab to $re,ent se$aration of abutting slabs.
2u&ber o( -ars8Slab Lengt" or Slab 3idt"
)!e number of bars of reinforcement is calculated on t!e basis of t!e $ercent steel/ t!e s$acing between
steel/ and t!e 1oint s$acing. )!e formula used for t!is calculation is as follows<
$ransverse +ein(orce&ent
@arsGSlab Lengt! A P(2 Steel x Slab )!ic*ness (in) x Slab 'idt! (in))G(As x 355)Q
Longitudinal +ein(orce&ent
@arsGSlab 'idt! A P(2 Steel x Slab )!ic*ness (in) x Slab Lengt! (in))G(As x 355)Q
Friction Factor
)!e friction factor is a measure of t!e frictional resistance between t!e bottom of t!e slab and t!e to$ of
t!e underlying base or subgrade layer. Recommended ,alues for t!e subgrade and a ,ariety of base
materials are $resented below<
/aterial
-eneat" Friction
Slab Factor
Surface )reatment 6.6
Lime Stabili+ation 3.4
As$!alt Stabili+ation 3.4
ement Stabili+ation 3.4
Ri,er >ra,el 3.7
rus!ed Stone 3.D
Sandstone 3.6
(atural Subgrade5.:
Steel 3or%ing Stress (psi)
Limiting criteria are $laced on t!e steel stress to guard against steel fracture and excessi,e $ermanent
deformation. )!e ultimate steel tensile strengt! (commonly referred to as t!e steel grade) is used as an
in$ut in t!e steel design $rocess. )!e actual steel wor*ing stress is 5.97 x ultimate stress. )!is ,alue is
in$ut in $si and will commonly range between 85/555 and =5/555 $si/ alt!oug!/ t!e allowable range is
between 35/555 and 95/555 $si.
-ar or 3ire Dia&eter
)!e bar diameter is t!e bar si+e di,ided by 4. )!us t!e diameter of a O8 bar is 8G4 or 5.897 inc!es. 'ire
diameters are a,ailable from t!e manufacturer. )y$ical ,alues range from 5.367 to 5.D inc!es.
*ercent Steel
)!e $ercent steel is one of t!e design out$uts of t!e $rocedure. It is based on t!e $a,ement cross&
sectional area. )o calculate t!e a$$ro$riate $ercent steel/ t!e following e-uation is useful<
0s A P(L x F)G6fsQ x 355
w!ere<
L A t!e distance between free edges/
F A t!e slab friction factor/ and
fs A t!e steel wor*ing stress.
A nomogra$! w!ic! sol,es t!is e-uation is found on $. II&7D of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide. It is im$ortant
to remember t!at in t!e calculation of t!e trans,erse distance between free longitudinal edges/ if tie bars
are $laced at a longitudinal 1oint/ t!at 1oint is not considered a free edge.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section
A recent e,aluation of inser,ice FR0 !as s!own notably better $erformance of t!ose $a,ements wit! a
$ercent steel greater t!an 5.35.
-ar Spacing
)!e s$acing between bars of trans,erse reinforcement is a function of t!e cross&sectional area of t!e
reinforcement selected/ t!e $ercent steel/ and t!e t!ic*ness of t!e slab. It is calculated using t!e following
formula<
S$acing (in) A PAsG(2 Steel x Slab )!ic*ness/ in)Q x 355
)!is e-uation is for bot! )rans,erse and Longitudinal Steel.
$ie -ar Design (or Longitudinal >oints
)ie bars are s!ort sections of deformed steel used to !old toget!er ad1acent lanes and tied concrete
s!oulders and are generally recommended for all new concrete construction. )!ey are $laced in $lastic
concrete at t!e longitudinal 1oint between lanes or a lane and s!oulder/ $er$endicular to t!e 1oint. Some
designers feel t!at t!e number of lanes t!at can be tied toget!er s!ould be limited/ alt!oug! t!ere are no
firm guidelines on t!is sub1ect. A good rule of t!umb is to tie toget!er no more t!an t!ree lanes or 84 feet
of $a,ement. )ie bars are ex$ected to Igi,eI or bend a little. )!erefore t!e use of large diameter or
$articularly brittle steel bars is discouraged.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art I/ Section 3.=.6/ $. I&6D.
Steel !rade (%si)
)!e steel grade is t!e ,alue/ in *si/ of t!e tensile strengt! of t!e steel used as tie bars. For exam$le/
>rade D5 steel !as a yield tensile strengt! of D5 *si. >rade D5 is a ty$ical grade used for tie bars.
Distance to Free Edge ((t)
)!e distance to t!e closest free edge is t!e distance from t!e longitudinal 1oint of interest to an
unsu$$orted edge. An edge is considered unsu$$orted if it is not tied to an ad1acent lane or s!oulder.
)!is distance is entered in feet.
Slab $"ic%ness (in)
)!e slab t!ic*ness/ in inc!es/ is re-uired to determine tie bar s$acing and lengt!s. )!is ,alue is not
automatically im$orted from t!e structural design in$uts.
Friction Factor
)!e friction factor re$resents t!e frictional resistance between t!e bottom of t!e slab and t!e to$ of t!e
underlying base or subgrade layer. Recommended ,alues for t!e subgrade and a ,ariety of base
materials are $resented below<
/aterial
-eneat" Friction
Slab Factor
Surface )reatment 6.6
Lime Stabili+ation 3.4
As$!alt Stabili+ation 3.4
ement Stabili+ation 3.4
Ri,er >ra,el 3.7
rus!ed Stone 3.D
Sandstone 3.6
(atural Subgrade5.:
-ar Si?e
)!e tie bar dimension of interest is t!e diameter of t!e deformed steel. )!is steel most commonly used is
5.7&in (OD bars) or 5.=67&in (O7 bars) in diameter/ and t!ese are t!e only ,alues $ermitted in DAR'in.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.D.8/ $. II&=7.
/axi&u& $ie -ar Spacing (in)
)!e tie bar s$acing must be determined based on t!e slab t!ic*ness/ steel grade/ and tie bar diameter.
)!e density of t!e concrete is assumed to be 3DD $cf and t!e designer is restricted to c!oosing between
OD and O7 bars. )!e calculation of t!e tie bar s$acing re-uires t!e calculation of an area of steel/ As<
As A (' x L x f)Gfs
w!ere <
' A t!e weig!t of concrete $er foot/
L A t!e distance from t!e longitudinal 1oint in -uestion to a free edge/
f A t!e friction factor/ and
fs A t!e steel wor*ing stress (in $si).
)!e s$acing is t!en determined by di,iding t!e cross&sectional area of one bar by As. )!e $rogram
assumes 3DD lbs.Gcubic foot. For ot!er 0 unit weig!ts<
As x (ew ;nit 'eig!t
3DD
+eco&&ended /axi&u& $ie -ar Spacing (in)
Alt!oug! t!e formulas $resented abo,e are recommended for t!e calculation of tie bar s$acing/ t!ere is a
maximum recommended s$acing. S$acings of greater t!an D4 inc!es are not recommended/ and if t!e
calculated s$acing exceed t!is recommended maximum/ t!e ,alue of D4 inc!es s!ould be used.
$ie -ar Lengt" (in)
)!e lengt! of t!e tie bar/ t/ is calculated by t!e following formula<
t A 5.7 x (fs x dG875) B 8
w!ere
fs A t!e steel wor*ing stress (in $si)/
d A t!e diameter (in inc!es) of t!e tie bar/
and 875 is t!e assumed allowable bond stress in t!e concrete.
Area o( Steel (sq,in8(t)
An area of steel for t!e calculated tie bars is calculated/ based on t!e amount of tie bar steel in a foot
section of $a,ement.
$ransverse >oint Spacing
>oint Spacing ((t)
)rans,erse 1oint s$acing is defined as t!e distance/ in feet/ between trans,erse contraction 1oints. If t!e
trans,erse 1oints are s*ewed/ it is t!e a,erage distance between t!e same $art of eac! 1oint. For a
random/ re$etiti,e trans,erse 1oint s$acing/ an a,erage ,alue s!ould be entered. )!us/ if t!e 1oint s$acing
is 38&37&39&37/ t!e a,erage 1oint s$acing is 37 ft. Determination of t!e s$acing of trans,erse 1oints is
based on eliminating intermediate crac*ing of a slab. Im$ortant factors to consider include t!e t!ermal
coefficient of contraction of t!e concrete (w!ic! is affected by t!e ty$e of coarse aggregate used)/ t!e
tem$erature c!ange/ t!e frictional resistance between t!e slab and t!e base/ and t!e concrete tensile
strengt!. 0re,ious ex$erience wit! similar materials and construction $ractices s!ould also be considered.
As a general rule of t!umb/ for 1ointed $lain concrete $a,ements (F00) only/ t!e 1oint s$acing in feet
s!ould not exceed twice t!e slab t!ic*ness in inc!es. Also/ as a general guideline/ t!e ratio of slab lengt!
to widt! s!ould not exceed 3.67. )!us t!e maximum 1oint s$acing for a 35&in t!ic* F00 would be 65 ft by
t!e first criterion/ and 37 ft (for a 36&ft wide slab) by t!e second criterion.
$ransverse >oint Load $rans(er
)!e two general forms of ac!ie,ing load transfer at trans,erse 1oints are by aggregate interloc*/ (w!erein
t!e aggregate at ad1acent trans,erse 1oints are ex$ected to remain in intimate contact)/ and dowels
(mec!anical load transfer de,ices). Aggregate interloc* is/ in t!eory/ ade-uate on s!ort 1ointed concrete
$a,ements (1oint s$acing less t!an or e-ual to 37 ft) t!at are not sub1ect to !ea,y truc* traffic. "ec!anical
load transfer de,ices are used to obtain $ositi,e load transfer on long&1ointed $a,ements/ and on s!orter
slabs w!ere !ea,y traffic is ex$ected. %owe,er/ gi,en t!e uncertainty wit! w!ic! traffic loadings can be
$redicted/ it is recommended by t!e F%'A t!at mec!anical load transfer de,ices be used at t!e
trans,erse 1oints of most 1ointed concrete $a,ement designs.
A commonly used load transfer de,ice is t!e $lain/ round steel dowel/ conforming to AAS%)# "83&>rade
=5 or !ig!er steel. If dowels are used/ t!e si+e and s$acing s!ould be determined by an agencyEs general
$rocedures andGor ex$erience. As a general guideline/ t!e dowel diameter s!ould be e-ual to t!e slab
t!ic*ness multi$lied by 3G4. Dowels are generally 34 in long and s$aced 36 inc!es on center. Dowels
s!ould be resistant to corrosion w!en used in geogra$!ic locations w!ere corrosi,e elements are a
$roblem.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art I/ Section 3.=.6/ $. I&68&D.
Dowel /aterial
)!e most commonly used material for dowels is round smoot! steel bars/ conforming to AAS%)# "=3&
>rade =5 or !ig!er. A number of ot!er materials (and load&transfer de,ices) !a,e been tried/ suc! as
!ollow bars/ !ollow&bars filled wit! concrete/ and $lastic/ alt!oug! t!e field success of suc! alternati,es is
eit!er not $ro,en or inconsistent. Stainless steel !as been used successfully/ but its costs may be
$ro!ibiti,e.
Dowel Dia&eter (in)
Ade-uate dowel diameter must be $ro,ided to assure load transfer and to $ro,ide sufficient cross&section
s!ould corrosion occur. As a general guideline/ t!e dowel diameter s!ould be e-ual to t!e slab t!ic*ness
multi$lied by 3G4. )!us a 35&in t!ic* slab would call for dowels of 35 x 3G4 in diameter/ or 3&3GD inc!es.
Dowel Lengt" (in)
Dowels s!ould be of ade-uate lengt! to $ro$erly distribute t!e load stresses wit!out o,erly stressing t!e
concrete. Dowels are commonly 34 inc!es long.
Dowel Spacing (in)
)!e most common s$acing for dowels at a trans,erse 1oint is e,ery 36 inc!es/ starting = inc!es in from t!e
$a,ement edge. 'it! suc! a s$acing/ a 36&ft wide slab will !a,e 36 dowels at t!e trans,erse 1oint. Some
$a,ement designs !a,e ex$erimented wit! $lacing a series of dowels only in t!e w!eel$at!s. '!ile t!is
can reduce t!e cost of t!e $a,ement somew!at/ furt!er information is needed on t!e design and
$erformance of suc! systems before suc! an a$$roac! can be endorsed.
Dowel Coating
In geogra$!ic locations w!ere corrosion of t!e dowel is $ossible/ a $rotecti,e coating is generally re-uired
to resist corrosion. )!is is t!e case in almost all locations. A number of different materials !a,e been tried
to $ro,ide a $rotecti,e coating/ including $aint/ $aint and grease/ as$!alt/ and e$oxy. Stainless steel
coatings !a,e also been a$$lied to steel bars to $ro,ide $rotection. )!e most commonly used coating is
currently e$oxy.
>oint +eservoir and Sealant Design
)!is o$tion $ermits t!e design of t!e trans,erse 1oint reser,oir for 1ointed concrete $a,ements. )!e design
of trans,erse contraction 1oints in 1ointed reinforced concrete $a,ements (FR0) and 1ointed $lain concrete
$a,ements (F00) is a ,ery im$ortant element of rigid $a,ement design. An ade-uate 1oint reser,oir will
!el$ to ensure t!e $ro$er $erformance of t!e trans,erse 1oint t!roug!out t!e $a,ementEs life. )!e 1oint
design s!ould be made in con1unction wit! t!e selection of an a$$ro$riate trans,erse 1oint sealant.
*CC Coe((icient o( $"er&al Expansion 6;,< in8in8oF
sub1ected to a c!ange in tem$erature. oncreteEs coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion ,aries wit! suc! factors
as t!e water&cement ratio/ concrete age/ cement content/ and relati,e !umidity. %owe,er/ t!e ty$e of
coarse aggregate in t!e mix !as t!e greatest im$act on t!e concreteEs coefficient of t!ermal ex$ansion.
Some guidelines for a$$ro$riate coefficients are $resented below/ based on different coarse aggregate
ty$es. It s!ould be noted t!at t!is c!art is under re,iew and s!ould be used wit! caution.
$ype o( Coarse Concrete Coe((icient o(
Aggregate $"er&al Expansion (6;,<in8in8oF)
Kuart+ =.=
Sandstone =.7
>ra,el =.5
>ranite 7.8
@asalt D.4
Limestone 8.4
$e&perature +ange (ro& *CC *lace&ent to /ini&u& $e&perature (oF)
)!e tem$erature range of interest in t!e calculation of t!e 1oint o$ening is t!e difference (in degrees
Fa!ren!eit) between t!e tem$erature at t!e time of $lacement of t!e concrete and t!e a,erage minimum
tem$erature in t!e location under e,aluation. )!is tem$erature range !el$s to define t!e ex$ected c!ange
in slab lengt! t!at will be caused by tem$erature cycling.
Drying S"rin%age Coe((icient o( *CC Slab (in8in)
Drying s!rin*age in t!e concrete from water loss needs to be considered in reinforcement design.
S!rin*age is affected by cement content/ t!e ty$es of admixtures/ t!e curing met!od/ t!e aggregates/ and
curing conditions. )!e ,alue of s!rin*age at 64 days is used for t!e design s!rin*age ,alue/ and an
estimate of t!e s!rin*age ,alue/ based on t!e 64&day concrete indirect tensile strengt!/ can be obtained
from t!e table below.
:7,day #ndirect
$ensile Strengt" psi S"rin%age in8in
M 855 5.5554
D55 5.555=
755 5.555D7
=55 5.5558
N 955 5.5556
Ref 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.7.6/ $. II&85/ )able 6.:.
Ad@ust&ent Factor (or Friction -etween Slab and Subbase
An ad1ustment factor is used in t!e calculation of mo,ement at t!e trans,erse 1oint to account for t!e
frictional resistance to suc! mo,ement between t!e concrete slab and different base ty$es. A ,alue of
5.=7 s!ould be used for a stabili+ed base (suc! as cement&treated base or lean concrete) and a ,alue of
5.45 s!ould be used for a granular base.
Ref 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.8.8/ $. II&76.
>oint Spacing
)!e s$acing between trans,erse 1oints is a ma1or factor in t!e determination of t!e ex$ected 1oint o$ening.
)!is is in$ut in feet/ but is con,erted to inc!es for calculation $ur$oses. If t!e trans,erse 1oints follow a
random&s$acing $attern/ t!e 1oint s$acing used is t!e a,erage trans,erse 1oint s$acing. )rans,erse 1oint
s$acing is in$ut on a se$arate screen/ and if no ,alue is entered t!ere/ no calculations can be $erformed
for t!is screen.
Sealant $ype
-itu&inous Sealant *roducts
0etroleum&based 1oint sealants are a family of sealing materials t!at include AS)" D33:5/ D8D57/ D8D5=/
and D3475. )!ey are ty$ically field&molded t!ermo$lastic materials/ can be eit!er !ot or cold&a$$lied/ and
may be modified wit! a ,ariety of $roducts/including fibers/ rubber/ and $olymers.
Silicone
Silicone sealants are cold&a$$lied/ one&$art t!ermosetting sealant materials. )raditionally/t!ese materials
!a,e re-uired tooling after $lacement/ but new self&le,eling sealants !a,e recently been introduced.
urrently t!ere are no AS)" s$ecs go,erning silicone sealants.
*re(or&ed
0reformed 1oint sealants/ often made from neo$rene or ot!er synt!etic material/ !a,e a cross&section
design t!at is intended to *ee$ t!e sealant in t!e 1oint t!roug! t!e exertion of a tensile force against t!e
reser,oir wall. 0reformed sealants are a$$lied wit! s$eciali+ed e-ui$ment and lubricants and s!ould be
designed in accordance wit! manufacturerEs recommendations.
Field /olded #nputs
Allowable Sealant Strain (in8in)
)!e allowable sealant strain is a manufacturer&s$ecified ,alue t!at ta*es into consideration t!e s$ecific
c!aracteristics of t!e sealant in use. A ty$ical ,alue for a $etroleum&based sealant is 5.67 and/ for a
silicone sealant/ 5.75. An allowable sealant strain is not an a$$licable conce$t for $reformed sealants.
Sealant S"ape Factor (D83)
)!e s!a$e factor of a 1oint is t!e ratio of t!e 1oint sealant de$t! to widt!. For $etroleum&based and silicone
sealants/ t!e minimum s!a$e factor is 3<3. For $etroleum&based sealants/ t!e $referred s!a$e factor is
6<3H for silicone sealants t!e $referred s!a$e factor is 3<6. )!is factor s!ould be in$ut in t!e $rogram as a
decimal (e.g./ 5.7 for a 3<6 s!a$e factor).
>oint 1pening (in)
)!e 1oint o$ening is t!e maximum ex$ected o$ening at a contraction 1oint t!at occurs at t!e a,erage
minimum tem$erature. It can be calculated wit! t!e following formula<
dL A P x L x (Ac x D)d B L) x 355Q
w!ere<
dL A t!e 1oint o$ening/ in inc!es
A t!e ad1ustment factor for subbaseGslab friction restraint
L A a,erage slab lengt!/ in
Ac A t!e t!ermal coefficient of contraction of 0/ degrees F
D)d A difference in tem$erature from $a,ing to t!e a,erage minimum
L A t!e drying s!rin*age coefficient of 0/ inGin
>oint +eservoir 3idt" (in)
)!e 1oint reser,oir widt! is a function of t!e 1oint o$ening and t!e allowable strain for a s$ecific sealant. It
is calculated by di,iding t!e 1oint o$ening by t!e allowable strain.
>oint Sealant Dept" (in)
)!e 1oint sealant de$t! is calculated by multi$lying t!e 1oint reser,oir widt! by t!e sealant s!a$e factor.
For trans,erse 1oints/ a minimum de$t! is 3G6 in/ w!ereas/ for longitudinal 1oints/ t!e minimum de$t! is 8G4
in. Also/ because sealants s!ould be recessed 3G4 in/ t!is is added to t!e calculation of t!e 1oint sealant
de$t!. )!e sealant reser,oir/ w!ic! is often formed by sawing t!e concrete s!ortly after $lacement/ may
include $lacement of a bac*er rod to assist in t!e de,elo$ment of t!e a$$ro$riate s!a$e factor. In t!is
case/ t!e reser,oir must be dee$ enoug! to accommodate t!e bac*er rod.
S"oulder Design
Information about t!e design of t!e $a,ement s!oulders can be in$ut into t!e $rogram. urrently/ DAR'in
allows t!e in$ut of a material descri$tion and t!ic*ness data for u$ to fi,e layers.
Layer 2u&ber
Eac! layer in t!e $a,ement system is numbered. )!e surface layer is layer number 3/ t!e base course is
layer number 6/ and so on. )!e last layer is t!e layer $laced directly on to$ of t!e subgrade/ i.e./ t!e
subgrade is not counted as a layer. A maximum of 7 layers is allowed for s!oulders.
/aterial $ype
)!e in$ut of t!e material ty$e allows t!e designer to s$ecify t!e material used for eac! layer. )y$ical
designations mig!t include 0/ A/ A>>/ )@/ A)@/ and so on.
Description
)!e material descri$tion is an elaboration of t!e material ty$e. For exam$le/ if t!e material ty$e is A>>/
t!e material descri$tion mig!t be ID#) Aggregate lass 7AI.
S"oulder $"ic%ness at *ave&ent Edge (in)
In some designs/ a s!oulder may be t!ic*er at t!e $a,ement edge t!an it is at its outer edge. Suc! a layer
is said to be ta$ered/ and is more li*ely to occur wit! a 0 surfaced s!oulder/ w!ere t!e inner edge of
t!e 0 s!oulder is t!e same t!ic*ness as t!e $a,ement slab.
S"oulder $"ic%ness at 1uter Edge (in)
)!e designer s!ould in$ut t!e t!ic*ness of t!e s!oulder at t!e outer edge/ as in some cases it may not be
t!e same as t!e t!ic*ness at t!e edge of t!e $a,ement.
Additional *ave&ent Layers
)!e Rigid 0a,ement Design module designs only t!e t!ic*ness of t!e 0 slab. #t!er layers/ suc! as
bases/ subbases/ and drainage layers/ are not considered in t!e design. In t!e Additional 0a,ement
Layers o$tion/ layers ot!er t!an t!e concrete slab can be described. )!ese layers will t!en a$$ear in t!e
design re$ort and be a $art of t!e final cross&section.
Layer 2u&ber
Eac! layer in t!e $a,ement system is numbered. Since t!e surface layer is layer number 3 and is
designed elsew!ere/ it is not included !ere. )!e base course is layer number 6/ and so on. )!e last layer
is t!e layer $laced directly on to$ of t!e subgrade/ i.e./ t!e subgrade is not counted as a layer. A maximum
of = layers is allowed in DAR'in.
/aterial $ype
)!e in$ut of t!e material ty$e allows t!e designer to s$ecify t!e material used for eac! layer. )y$ical
designations would include 0/ A/ A>>/ )@/ A)@/ and so on.
Description
)!e material descri$tion is an elaboration of t!e material ty$e. For exam$le/ if t!e material ty$e is A>>/
t!e material descri$tion mig!t be ID#) Aggregate lass 7AI.
$"ic%ness (in)
)!e in$ut of t!e layer t!ic*ness allows t!e designer to s$ecify t!ic*nesses for eac! additional $a,ement
layer.
E((ective /odulus o( Subgrade +eaction (k)
)!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction can be directly in$ut as a single ,alue. %owe,er/ t!e effecti,e
modulus c!anges as a function of t!e moisture content and tem$erature of t!e subgrade/ t!e t!ic*ness
and elastic modulus of t!e subbase/ t!e de$t! from t!e slab to bedroc*/ and t!e loss of su$$ort ca$ability
of t!e $a,ement. If multi$le ,alues of t!e resilient modulus of t!e subgrade and elastic modulus of t!e
subbase are a,ailable/ t!en t!ese can be in$ut and a single ,alue will be out$ut.
-ase $ype
)!e subbase ty$e does not !a,e an effect on t!e calculations but does affect t!e modulus ,alues
described elsew!ere. >enerally/ !ig!er -uality base ty$es will !a,e !ig!er modulus ,alues and contribute
to a !ig!er effecti,e k&,alue.
-ase $"ic%ness (in)
)!e base t!ic*ness is an indication of !ow muc! su$$ort material is a,ailable. It is used in t!e calculation
of t!e com$osite k&,alue/ w!ic! is an intermediate calculation ste$ in t!e determination of t!e effecti,e k.
Dept" to -edroc% ((t)
If bedroc* lies wit!in 35 feet of t!e surface of t!e subgrade for any significant lengt! of t!e $ro1ect/ it will
!a,e an effect on t!e o,erall effecti,e k&,alue. If t!e de$t! to bedroc* is greater t!an 35 feet/ t!e rigid
foundation is not considered to influence on t!e effecti,e k&,alue.
*ro@ected Slab $"ic%ness (in)
)!e $ro1ected slab t!ic*ness is an in$ut in t!e calculation of t!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction.
Inclusion of t!is in$ut follows t!e $rocedure described in t!e Design >uide. )!ere may be instances w!en
t!e designer wis!es to calculate an effecti,e modulus wit!out calculating a slab t!ic*ness/ or ex$ort t!e
calculated effecti,e modulus ,alue into t!e t!ic*ness design $rocedure. At first/ t!is mig!t seem to cause
a conflict/ as t!e slab t!ic*ness is re-uired as one of t!e in$uts to an in$ut used in t!e calculation of t!e
slab t!ic*ness. %owe,er/ by substituting se,eral different ,alues for t!is in$ut/ it can be seen t!at t!e
effect of t!is in$ut on t!e out$ut is negligible.
Loss o( Support
)!is factor is included in t!e design of rigid $a,ements to account for t!e $otential loss of su$$ort arising
from subbase erosion andGor differential ,ertical soil mo,ements. '!en t!e $otential for loss of su$$ort
exists/ it !as t!e effect of reducing t!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction.
A table wit! suggested ranges of ,alues for loss of su$$ort is s!own below<
Loss o( Support
$ype o( /aterial (LS)
ement )reated >ranular @ase 5.5 to 3.5
(E A 3/555/555 to 6/555/555 $si)
ement Aggregate "ixtures 5.5 to 3.5
(E A 755/555 to 3/555/555 $si)
As$!alt )reated @ase 5.5 to 3.5
(E A 875/555 to 3/555/555 $si)
@ituminous Stabili+ed "ixtures 5.5 to 3.5
(E A D5/555 to 855/555 $si)
Lime Stabili+ed 3.5 to 8.5
(E A 65/555 to 95/555 $si)
;nbound >ranular "aterials 3.5 to 8.5
(E A 37/555 to D7/555 $si)
Fine >rained or (atural 6.5 to 8.5
Subgrade "aterials
(E A 8/555 to D5/555 $si)
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.D.8/ $. II&64&:/ and )able 6.9.
/odulus Values
)!e "odulus Values button accesses a screen w!ere t!e resilient modulus of t!e roadbed soil and t!e
elastic modulus of t!e base may be in$ut for eac! seasonal ,ariation/ from 3 u$ to 6D. In order to
calculate an o,erall effecti,e modulus/ at least one modulus ,alue must be in$ut.
*eriod
A $eriod is defined as t!e lengt! of time o,er w!ic! t!e roadbed soil resilient modulus remains essentially
unc!anged. )!is can range from 3 (modulus does not c!ange t!roug!out t!e year) to 6D (modulus
c!anges a$$roximately e,ery !alf&mont!).
+oadbed Soil +esilient /odulus
)!e roadbed soil resilient modulus can be directly in$ut as a single ,alue. %owe,er/ t!e modulus of t!e
roadbed c!anges as a function of t!e moisture content and tem$erature of t!e subgrade. If multi$le
,alues of t!e resilient modulus of t!e subgrade are a,ailable/ t!en t!ese can be in$ut and a single ,alue
will be out$ut. )!is dialog box is a,ailable to in$ut t!e different resilient modulus for u$ to 6D different
seasons in one year.
-ase Elastic /odulus
A base elastic modulus s!ould be assigned for eac! $eriod in w!ic! t!ere is a resilient modulus. For t!ose
base materials w!ic! are insensiti,e to season/ suc! as stabili+ed bases/ a constant ,alue may be in$ut.
For granular materials t!at are sensiti,e to seasonal c!anges but !a,e not been tested/ t!e AAS%)#
Design >uide recommends using a ,alue of 75/555 $si for fro+en conditions and 37/555 $si for s$ring
t!aw conditions. For any unbound materials/ it is recommended t!at t!e base elastic modulus not exceed
four times t!e subgrade resilient modulus.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.6.3/ $$. II&89 to II&D7.
+oadbed Soil +esilient /odulus Values
,alues of t!e resilient modulus of t!e subgrade and elastic modulus of t!e subbase are a,ailable/ t!en
t!ese can be in$ut and a single ,alue will be out$ut. )!is dialog box is a,ailable to in$ut t!e different
resilient modulus ,alues for u$ to 6D different seasons in one year.
)elp File , About DA+3in
Information related to t!e de,elo$ment of t!e software and ongoing assistance to t!e software users is
$ro,ided in t!e About Darwin dialog box. In addition to a $!one number and address to contact for furt!er
assistance/ t!e current ,ersion of t!e software and t!e release date are $resented !ere. )!is information
s!ould be a,ailable to t!e user before see*ing !el$ under t!e DAR'in ASSIS) $rogram.
+oadbed Soil +esilient /odulus Values
,alues of t!e resilient modulus of t!e subgrade are a,ailable/ t!en t!ese can be in$ut and a single ,alue
will be out$ut. )!is dialog box is a,ailable to in$ut t!e different resilient modulus ,alues for u$ to 6D
different seasons in one year.Delete Dialog -ox
;se t!e delete dialog box to erase a s$ecified file. ;se t!e Directory list box to c!ange to different
directories. ;se t!e file name edit field to s$ecify t!e file to delete. 'ild card file names are automatically
ex$anded.Sensitivity *lot +ange
Enter t!e lower and u$$er range to dis$lay for t!e sensiti,ity $lot. )!e recommended range is already
entered. )!e range corres$onds to t!e module in$ut t!at t!e cursor is $resently on.
Structural 2u&ber
)!e structural number (S() is a dimensionless term t!at ex$resses t!e structural strengt! of a flexible
$a,ement. It is t!e actual out$ut of t!e AAS%)# design e-uation and must be con,erted to indi,idual
layer t!ic*nesses of t!e $a,ement t!roug! t!e following relations!i$<
S( A a3d3 B a6d6m6 Ba8d8m8
w!ere<
ai A structural coefficient for layer i
di A t!ic*ness of layer i
mi A drainage coefficient for layer i
Furt!er information on t!e determination of t!e S( is a,ailable in section 8.3.3 and in A$$endix % of t!e
AAS%)# Design >uide. )!e design e-uation used to calculate t!e S( is found on $. II&87.
Flexible Structural Design , Cross Section View
In t!e A Structural Design module/ t!ere are t!ree t!ic*ness design met!ods. Any or all of t!ese
t!ic*ness designs may be acti,e wit!in one A module. In order to dis$lay a cross&section of t!e designed
$a,ement/ one t!ic*ness design met!od must be selected for dis$lay.
Calculate Design Structural 2u&ber or ESALs
Eit!er t!e Structural (umber for a gi,en set of in$uts or t!e number of ESALs t!at a designed $a,ement
can carry are t!e out$ut selections for t!is module. alculating a Structural (umber is t!e most common
usage for t!e AAS%)# design e-uation. %owe,er/ a Structural (umber can be an in$ut/ in w!ic! case t!e
calculated out$ut is t!e ex$ected ESALs.
Speci(ied $"ic%ness Design /et"od
DAR'in $ro,ides t!ree met!ods for obtaining t!e t!ic*nesses of t!e ,arious layers in a flexible $a,ement<
S$ecified )!ic*ness Design/ Layered Analysis )!ic*ness Design/ and )!ic*ness Design by #$timi+ation.
)!e S$ecified )!ic*ness Design "et!od allows for t!e direct in$ut of layer t!ic*nesses/ structural
coefficients/ and drainage coefficients in order to satisfy t!e re-uired structural number re-uirement of a
flexible $a,ement. In t!is case/ t!e $rogram will not calculate layer t!ic*nesses/ but rat!er will allow t!e
user to in$ut any number of combinations to satisfy t!e structural number re-uirements.
Layer 2u&ber
subgrade is not counted as a layer. A maximum of 4 layers is allowed in DAR'in.
/aterial Description
For eac! layer t!at is included in a flexible $a,ement design/ a text descri$tion of t!at layer can be
attac!ed for reference $ur$oses. )!e in$ut is free format and !as no effect at all on t!e design.
Structural Coe((icient ai
Layer coefficients ex$ress t!e em$irical relations!i$ between t!e structural number (S() and layer
t!ic*ness and are a measure of t!e relati,e ability of t!e material to function as a structural com$onent of
t!e $a,ement. Eac! layer in a flexible $a,ement system must be assigned a layer coefficient in order to
determine re-uired layer t!ic*nesses/ or/ con,ersely/ to con,ert actual layer t!ic*nesses into structural
numbers.
Alt!oug! t!e elastic (resilient) modulus !as been ado$ted as t!e standard material -uality measure/ it is
still necessary to identify corres$onding layer coefficients because of t!eir treatment in t!e structural
number design a$$roac!. '!ile t!ere are correlations a,ailable to determine t!e modulus from tests suc!
as t!e R&,alue and @R/ t!e $rocedure recommended is direct measurement using AAS%)# )69D for
subbase and unbound granular materials and AS)" DD368 for as$!alt concrete and ot!er stabili+ed
materials. )!e estimation of layer coefficients for eac! ma1or material ty$e is described below<
As$!alt oncrete Surface ourse
)!e layer coefficient for t!e as$!alt concrete surface course (a3) is a function of t!e elastic modulus ,alue
of t!e material. Figure 6.7 ($. II&3:) of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide $ro,ides a c!art t!at can be used to
estimate t!e structural layer coefficient of a dense&graded as$!alt concrete surface based on its elastic
modulus ,alue at =4 F. )!e as$!alt concrete surface course layer coefficient at t!e AAS%# Road )est
a,eraged 5.DD.
>ranular @ase Layers
Figure 6.= ($. II&65) of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide $ro,ides a c!art t!at may be used to estimate t!e
structural layer coefficient for a granular base layer (a6) from one of four laboratory test results on a
granular base material. )!ese results are based on t!e AAS%# Road )est a,erages for t!e granular
materials<
a6 A 5.3D
E@S A 85/555 $si
@R A 355 (a$$rox.)
R&,alue A 47 (a$$rox.)
>ranular Subbase Layers
Figure 6.9 ($. II&68) of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide $ro,ides a c!art t!at can be used to estimate t!e
structural layer coefficient for granular subbase materials (a8) from one of four laboratory test results on a
granular subbase material. )!e AAS%# Road )est basis for t!ese correlations is<
a8 A 5.33
E@S A 37/555 $si
@R A 85 (a$$rox.)
R&,alue A =5 (a$$rox.)

ement&)reated @ases
Figure 6.4 ($. II&6D) of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide $ro,ides a c!art t!at can be used to estimate t!e
structural layer coefficient for a cement&treated base (a6) from eit!er its elastic modulus or from its 9&day
unconfined com$ressi,e strengt!.
@ituminous&)reated @ases
Figure 6.: ($. II&67) of t!e AAS%)# Design >uide $ro,ides a c!art t!at can be used to estimate t!e
structural layer coefficient for a bituminous&treated base (a6) from eit!er its elastic modulus or from its
"ars!all stability (AAS%)# )6D7/ AS)" D377:).
3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.3.D/ $. II&8=.
3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.3.7/ $. II&89.
Drainage Coe((icient &i
)!e effect of drainage on $a,ement life for flexible $a,ements is -uantified t!roug! t!e use of t!e mi
,alue. )!is factor !as been integrated into t!e structural number (S() e-uation as a modifier to t!e layer
coefficient ai and layer t!ic*ness Di.
S( A a3D3 B a6D6m6 B a8D8m8
)!e mi ,alues a$$ly only to t!e effects of drainage on untreated base and subbase layers. )!e $ossible
effect of drainage on t!e as$!alt concrete surface course and on any stabili+ed layers is not considered
(i.e./ m3 A 3).
)!e effect of drainage on $a,ement $erformance is a function of t!e -uality of drainage (i.e./ t!e time
re-uired for t!e $a,ement to drain) and t!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e $a,ement structure is
ex$osed to moisture le,els a$$roac!ing saturation ($oint w!ere maximum water !as been absorbed). It is
u$ to t!e design engineer to determine t!e relati,e le,els of eac! of t!ese ,alues for t!e s$ecific conditions
being considered for design. )!e -uality of drainage de$ends on t!e $ermeabilities of t!e base and
foundation materials/ t!e design of t!e structural cross section/ and t!e $resence or absence of edge
drains. )!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e $a,ement will be ex$osed to near saturation le,els is a
function of $reci$itation and e,a$otrans$iration c!aracteristics t!at are in!erent to a $articular climatic
region. >uidance on t!e selection of t!e drainage coefficient is $ro,ided in t!e following table<
*ercent o( $i&e *ave&ent Structure is Exposed
to /oisture Levels Approac"ing Saturation
Auality o( Less $"an !reater $"an
Drainage 64 6 , 54 5 , :54 :54
Excellent 3.D5 & 3.87 3.87 & 3.85 3.85 & 3.65 3.65
>ood 3.87 & 3.67 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.55 3.55
Fair 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45
0oor 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45 & 5.=5 5.=5
Very 0oor 3.57 & 5.:7 5.:7 & 5.97 5.97 & 5.D5 5.D5
'!ere<
Auality o( Drainage 3ater +e&oved 3it"in
Excellent 6 !ours
>ood 3 day
Fair 3 wee*
0oor 3 mont!
Very 0oor 'ater will not drain
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art I/ Section 3.4/ $. I&6:.
3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.D.3/ $. II&66.
$"ic%ness Di
)!e t!ic*ness of any layer in t!e flexible $a,ement structure is designated Di. De$ending u$on t!e
t!ic*ness determination $rocedure/ it can eit!er be s$ecified by t!e user or calculated by DAR'in.
Structural 2u&ber
w!ere<
Calculated Structural 2u&ber
In t!e design of layer t!ic*nesses for a flexible $a,ement/ an S( is calculated for eac! layer and summed.
'!en t!e sum of t!e calculated S(s is e-ual to or greater t!an t!e design S(/ t!e $a,ement design
criteria are met. )!e formula used to calculate t!e S( for any layer is as follows<
S(i A ai x di x mi
Design Structural 2u&ber (or all Layers (value to &atc")
)!e design S( is t!e structural number obtained from t!e solution of t!e AAS%)# flexible $a,ement
design e-uation. In t!e $rocess of designing t!e t!ic*ness of indi,idual layers in a flexible $a,ement/ t!e
design S( is com$ared to t!e calculated S( until t!e calculated S( is greater t!an or e-ual to t!e design
S(. )!is ,alue can also be directly in$ut by t!e user if t!e A structural design section of t!e $rogram is
by$assed.
$"ic%ness to /atc" Design S2
If a structural coefficient and drainage coefficient are s$ecified for a layer/ t!e ,alue in t!is column is t!e
t!ic*ness re-uired for any gi,en layer to meet t!e S( re-uirements. )!e numbers in t!is column are
u$dated w!ene,er t!e AL button is acti,ated.
Layered Analysis $"ic%ness Design /et"od
DAR'in $ro,ides t!ree met!ods for obtaining t!e t!ic*ness of t!e ,arious layers in a flexible $a,ement/
In t!e Layered Analysis )!ic*ness Design "et!od/ DAR'in sol,es for layer t!ic*nesses of a flexible
$a,ement using t!e met!odology described in t!e AAS%)# Design >uide/ $. II&84. )!e a$$roac! used is
to sol,e for t!e structural number of a layer based on t!e elastic modulus of t!e layer beneat! t!e layer of
interest. )!e elastic modulus is used in t!e design e-uation as t!e resilient modulus. )!e algorit!m starts
by sol,ing for t!e t!ic*ness of t!e bottom layer and wor*ing u$. (ote t!at a layer is designated by
s$ecifying a structural coefficient/ drainage coefficient/ and elastic modulus. Any layer t!ic*ness may be
s$ecified/ or a minimum t!ic*ness may be s$ecified/ but in so doing a layer in t!e $a,ement system may
be underdesigned. )!is met!od is not a$$licable for t!e design of an indi,idual layer abo,e a layer w!ose
elastic modulus is greater t!an D5/555 $si. )!us t!e met!od is not a$$licable for t!e design of layers
$laced on to$ of most stabili+ed materials.
Layer 2u&ber
subgrade is not counted as a layer. A maximum of 4 layers is allowed in DAR'in.
For eac! layer t!at is included in a flexible $a,ement design/ a descri$tion of t!at layer can be attac!ed for
reference $ur$oses. )!e in$ut is free format and !as no effect at all on t!e design.
Layer coefficients ex$ress t!e em$irical relations!i$ between structural number (S() and layer t!ic*ness
and are a measure of t!e relati,e ability of t!e material to function as a structural com$onent of t!e
$a,ement. Eac! layer in a flexible $a,ement system must be assigned a layer coefficient in order to
numbers.
as t!e R&,alue and @R/ t!e $rocedure recommended is direct measurement using t!e re,ised AAS%)#
)69D for subbase and unbound granular materials and AS)" DD368 for as$!alt concrete and ot!er
stabili+ed materials. )!e estimation of layer coefficients for eac! ma1or material ty$e is described below<
modulus ,alue at =4 degrees Fa!ren!eit. )!e as$!alt concrete surface course layer coefficient at t!e
AAS%# Road )est a,eraged 5.DD.
materials<
a6 A 5.3D
E@S A 85/555 $si
@R A 355 (a$$rox.)
a8 A 5.33
E@S A 37/555 $si
@R A 85 (a$$rox.)

ement&)reated @ases
"ars!all stability ()6D7/ AS)" D377:).
effect of drainage on t!e as$!alt concrete surface course and on any stabili+ed layers is not considered/
and t!erefore t!e drainage coefficient for t!ese layers is 3.5.
ex$osed to moisture le,els a$$roac!ing saturation. It is u$ to t!e design engineer to determine t!e
relati,e le,els of eac! of t!ese ,alues for t!e s$ecific conditions being considered for design. )!e -uality
of drainage de$ends on t!e $ermeabilities of t!e base and foundation materials/ t!e design of t!e
structural cross section/ and t!e $resence of edge drains. )!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e
$a,ement will be ex$osed to near saturation le,els is a function of $reci$itation and e,a$otrans$iration
c!aracteristics t!at are in!erent to a $articular climatic region. >uidance on t!e selection of t!e drainage
coefficient is $ro,ided in t!e following table<
Drainage 64 6 , 54 5 , :54 :54
Excellent 3.D5 & 3.87 3.87 & 3.85 3.85 & 3.65 3.65
>ood 3.87 & 3.67 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.55 3.55
Fair 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45
0oor 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45 & 5.=5 5.=5
Very 0oor 3.57 & 5.:7 5.:7 & 5.97 5.97 & 5.D5 5.D5
'!ere<
Excellent 6 !ours
>ood 3 day
Fair 3 wee*
0oor 3 mont!
Speci(ied $"ic%ness Di
)!e s$ecified t!ic*ness of a layer/ Di/ is t!e user&designated t!ic*ness of any layer in t!e flexible
$a,ement system. A t!ic*ness mig!t be s$ecified w!en an agency $laces restrictions on s$ecific layers.
For exam$le/ a granular subbase layer may be s$ecified as 34 in t!ic* in order to $ro,ide frost $rotection
to t!e $a,ement. Any layer wit! a s$ecified t!ic*ness is not considered as $art of t!e elastic layered
analysis calculations.
/ini&u& $"ic%ness
A minimum t!ic*ness can be s$ecified for a layer in order to satisfy user or agency constraints. )!ese
constraints may be based on design $olicy/ constructability/ or ex$erience. '!en a minimum t!ic*ness is
s$ecified/ DAR'in will calculate t!e t!ic*ness for t!at layer and com$are it to t!e minimum t!ic*ness. If
t!e calculated t!ic*ness is less t!an t!e minimum t!ic*ness/ t!e minimum t!ic*ness will be selectedH if t!e
calculated t!ic*ness is greater t!an t!e minimum t!ic*ness/ t!e calculated t!ic*ness will be used.
Elastic /odulus Ei
)!e elastic modulus is t!e ratio of stress to strain for a gi,en material. In t!e Layered Analysis )!ic*ness
Design/ an elastic modulus must be entered for eac! layer to be included in t!e design. Elastic modulus
,alues s!ould be related to t!e structural coefficient using c!arts in t!e AAS%)# Design >uide t!at
correlate one to t!e ot!er. %owe,er/ t!ese ,alues are treated inde$endently in DAR'in and it is t!e
elastic modulus strengt! $arameter t!at is used to determine structural numbers for eac! layer w!ile t!e
structural coefficient is used to calculate t!e layer t!ic*ness once t!e structural number is calculated.
(otation for t!e elastic modulus ,alues include EA for t!e elastic modulus of t!e as$!alt concrete/ E@S
for t!e base layer/ and ES@ for t!e subbase layer.
For t!e as$!alt concrete surface course/ an elastic modulus can be obtained by testing t!e material in
accordance wit! AS)" DD368. )!is test s!ould also be used for stabili+ed base layers. ;nbound granular
materials s!ould be tested in accordance wit! t!e re,ised AAS%)# )69D.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.8.8/ $. II&3D.
3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.8.8/ $. II&3D.
$"ic%ness
)!e t!ic*ness of eac! layer is calculated by di,iding t!e structural number calculated for t!at layer by t!e
$roduct of t!e structural coefficient and drainage coefficient. %owe,er/ if a t!ic*ness is s$ecified/ t!e
s$ecified t!ic*ness will o,errule and be t!e design t!ic*ness.
Structural 2u&ber
w!ere<
Calculated Structural 2u&ber
In t!e design of layer t!ic*nesses for a flexible $a,ement/ an S( is calculated for eac! layer and summed.
'!en t!e sum of t!e calculated S(s is e-ual to or greater t!an t!e design S(/ t!e $a,ement design
criteria are met. )!e formula used to calculate t!e S( for any layer is as follows<
S(i A ai x di x mi
Design Structural 2u&ber (value to &atc")
)!e design S( is t!e structural number obtained from t!e solution of t!e AAS%)# flexible $a,ement
design e-uation. In t!e $rocess of deigning t!e t!ic*ness of indi,idual layers in a flexible $a,ement/ t!e
design S( is com$ared to t!e calculated S( until t!e calculated S( is greater t!an or e-ual to t!e design
S(. )!is ,alue can also be directly in$ut by t!e user if t!e A structural design section of t!e $rogram is
by$assed.
Displayed $"ic%ness *recision
)!ere are two c!oices a,ailable for t!e dis$lay of t!e out$ut. Selecting Actual will s!ow t!e Structural
(umber as calculated/ rounded to two decimal $laces. )!is uses t!e layer t!ic*nesses as calculated as
an in$ut. !oosing Round u$ to (earest 3G6 in ad1usts t!e calculated t!ic*ness for eac! layer by rounding
u$ to t!e nearest 3G6 in. )!en t!e Structural (umber is recalculated based on t!e rounded t!ic*nesses.
)!is o$tion is a,ailable because most layers are constructed to rounded ,alues/ w!ic! does somew!at
alter t!e Structural (umber of t!e $a,ement.
1pti&i?ed Design $"ic%ness /et"od
DAR'in $ro,ides t!ree met!ods for obtaining t!e t!ic*ness of t!e ,arious layers in a flexible $a,ement/
In t!e )!ic*ness Design by #$timi+ation met!od/ layer t!ic*nesses are selected based on user&
designated constraints. In$uts re-uired in addition to t!e structural coefficient and drainage coefficient
include t!e unit cost of layer materials/ minimum and maximum layer t!ic*nesses/ and a structural number.
)!e solution is t!e least cost design based on t!e in$uts and constraints $ro,ided by t!e designer. )!e
solution is obtained t!roug! t!e use of linear $rogramming tec!ni-ues/ suc! as are described in I#$timal
Flexible 0a,ement Design/ I A. >arcia&Dia+ and F.S. Liebman/ )rans$ortation Engineering Fournal of t!e
ASE/Volume 35D/ (o. )E8/ "ay 3:94.
Layer 2u&ber
Eac! layer is numbered/ starting wit! t!e surface layer/ w!ic! is layer number 3/ and wor*ing down
t!roug! t!e $a,ement system. )!e last layer is t!e layer $laced directly on to$ of t!e subgrade.
For eac! layer t!at is included in a flexible $a,ement design/ a descri$tion of t!at layer can be attac!ed for
reference $ur$oses. )!e in$ut is free format and !as no effect at all on t!e design.
Layer coefficients ex$ress t!e em$irical relations!i$ between structural number (S() and layer t!ic*ness
and are a measure of t!e relati,e ability of t!e material to function as a structural com$onent of t!e
$a,ement. Eac! layer in a flexible $a,ement system must be assigned a layer coefficient in order to
numbers.
as t!e R&,alue and @R/ t!e $rocedure recommended is direct measurement using AAS%)# )69D for
subbase and unbound granular materials and AS)" DD368 for as$!alt concrete and ot!er stabili+ed
materials. )!e estimation of layer coefficients for eac! ma1or material ty$e is described below<
modulus ,alue at =4 degrees Fa!ren!eit. )!e as$!alt concrete surface course layer coefficient at t!e
AAS%# Road )est a,eraged 5.DD.
materials<
a6 A 5.3D
E@S A 85/555 $si
@R A 355 (a$$rox.)
a8 A 5.33
E@S A 37/555 $si
@R A 85 (a$$rox.)

ement&)reated @ases
"ars!all stability ()6D7/ AS)" D377:).
effect of drainage on t!e as$!alt concrete surface course and on any stabili+ed layers is not considered.
ex$osed to moisture le,els a$$roac!ing saturation. It is u$ to t!e design engineer to determine t!e
relati,e le,els of eac! of t!ese ,alues for t!e s$ecific conditions being considered for design. )!e -uality
of drainage de$ends on t!e $ermeabilities of t!e base and foundation materials/ t!e design of t!e
structural cross section/ and t!e $resence of edge drains. )!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e
$a,ement will be ex$osed to near saturation le,els is a function of $reci$itation and e,a$otrans$iration
c!aracteristics t!at are in!erent to a $articular climatic region. >uidance on t!e selection of t!e drainage
coefficient is $ro,ided in t!e following table<
Drainage 64 6 , 54 5 , :54 :54
Excellent 3.D5 & 3.87 3.87 & 3.85 3.85 & 3.65 3.65
>ood 3.87 & 3.67 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.55 3.55
Fair 3.67 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45
0oor 3.37 & 3.57 3.57 & 5.45 5.45 & 5.=5 5.=5
Very 0oor 3.57 & 5.:7 5.:7 & 5.97 5.97 & 5.D5 5.D5
'!ere<
Excellent 6 !ours
>ood 3 day
Fair 3 wee*
0oor 3 mont!
Cost B8SC , in
)!e o$timi+ation routine used to design layer t!ic*nesses sol,es for t!e least cost $a,ement structure
sub1ect to certain constraints. In order to select t!e o$timal t!ic*ness of eac! layer in t!e $a,ement
system/ a unit cost for eac! material is re-uired. )!at cost is ex$ressed in dollars $er s-uare yard inc!
(SGs- yd in). A Is-uare yard inc!I is a ,olume of material co,ering a s-uare yard to a t!ic*ness of an inc!.
)o con,ert from costs $er ton to costs $er s-uare yard inc!/ use t!e formula illustrated below<
SGton A SG6555 lbs x density (lbGcu.ft.) x 69 cu.ft.G3 cu.yd. x 3 cu.yd.G8= s- yd in
(ote t!at t!e density of t!e material/ in lbGcu.ft./ is re-uired.
/ini&u& $"ic%ness in
A "inimum )!ic*ness can be s$ecified for a layer in order to satisfy user or agency constraints. )!ese
constraints may be based on design $olicy/ constructability/ or ex$erience. '!en a minimum t!ic*ness is
s$ecified/ DAR'in will calculate t!e t!ic*ness for t!at layer and com$are it to t!e minimum t!ic*ness. If
t!e calculated t!ic*ness is less t!an t!e minimum t!ic*ness/ t!e minimum t!ic*ness will be selectedH if t!e
calculated t!ic*ness is greater t!an t!e minimum t!ic*ness/ t!e calculated t!ic*ness will be used.
/axi&u& $"ic%ness in
)!e constraint of a maximum t!ic*ness may be $laced on any or all layers. For exam$le/ if an agency
does not build as$!alt surfaces greater t!an = inc!es/ t!at can be s$ecified as an in$ut. A maximum
t!ic*ness could be s$ecified for ot!er reasons/ suc! as constructability/ clearance/ cost/ and to a,oid
rutting. If a layer t!ic*ness greater t!an t!e s$ecified maximum is calculated/ t!e s$ecified t!ic*ness will
be selected.
1pti&u& $"ic%ness in
)!e o$timi+ation routine sol,es for layer t!ic*nesses sub1ect to t!e constraints of layer t!ic*ness/
materials/ and material cost $ro,ided by t!e designer. )!e resultant t!ic*nesses for eac! layer are
considered o$timum t!ic*ness because t!ey re$resent t!e o$timum solution for t!e $ro,ided in$uts. It
s!ould be noted t!at t!e term Io$timumI is not used in a design sense/ but in t!e sense of $ro,iding a
mat!ematical solution to t!e $roblem. )!e user is strongly encouraged to com$are designs obtained from
t!is met!od wit! designs from ot!er met!ods.
Calculated Layer S2
)!e calculated layer S( is t!e $roduct of t!e calculated o$timum t!ic*ness for t!at layer and t!e structural
coefficient and drainage coefficient for t!at layer.
Calculated Cost B8sy
)!e calculated layer cost is t!e $roduct of t!e calculated o$timum t!ic*ness for eac! layer and t!e user
in$ut cost in SGsy&in. )!ese calculated costs are t!en summed u$ to arri,e at a cost for t!e design in SGsy.
Design Structural 2u&ber (value to &atc")
)!e default S( is t!e one calculated in t!e structural module. A ,alue ot!er t!an t!e calculated S( may
be entered if it is desired to by$ass t!e structural module entirely.
Calculate (1ptions) , Flexible Structural Design
)!e user is gi,en t!e o$tion of calculating eit!er of t!e following<
3. Structural (umber
6. ESALs
Eit!er t!e Structural (umber for a gi,en set of in$uts or t!e number of ESALs t!at a designed $a,ement
can carry are t!e out$ut selections for t!is module. alculating a Structural (umber is t!e most common
usage for t!e AAS%)# design e-uation. %owe,er/ a Structural (umber can be an in$ut/ in w!ic! case t!e
calculated out$ut is t!e allowable ESALs.
Calculate (/odule) , Flexible Structural Design
)!e calculate o$tion will $erform t!e calculations of a module based on t!e $ro,ided in$uts. Its function is
identical to clic*ing on or selecting t!e AL button in t!e module. If DAR'in is unable to calculate a
,alue for a module/ it is usually because all re-uired in$uts are not entered/ or some in$uts are incorrectly
entered. )!e error messages t!at are dis$layed s!ould $ro,ide sufficient guidance to correct t!e $roblem.
Flexible Structural Design Selections
DAR'in allows t!ree different met!ods for obtaining t!e t!ic*nesses of t!e ,arious layers in a flexible
$a,ement< S$ecified )!ic*ness Design/ Layered Analysis )!ic*ness Design/ and )!ic*ness Design by
#$timi+ation. )!e designs can be $erformed wit! t!e Structural (umber calculated by DAR'in or wit! t!e
direct in$ut of a Structural (umber.
Eac! met!od ser,es a different $ur$ose and will gi,e -uite different results. )!e user is encouraged to try
eac! of t!e met!ods and com$are t!e results t!at are obtained.
Calculate Structural 2u&ber
w!ere<
Furt!er information on t!e determination of t!e S( is a,ailable in section 8.3.3 and A$$endix % of t!e
ADG. )!e design e-uation used to calculate t!e S( is found on $. II&87.
0ro1ect Descri$tion
34&*i$ ESALs (Initial 0erformance 0eriod)
Roadbed Soil Resilient "odulus ($si)
Stage onstruction
alculate
+oadbed Soil +esilient /odulus (psi) /+
)!e resilient modulus ,alue is t!e definiti,e material $ro$erty used to c!aracteri+e t!e roadbed soil for t!e
AAS%)# $a,ement design $rocedure. )!e resilient modulus is a measure of t!e elastic $ro$erty of soil
recogni+ing certain nonlinear traits.
)!e design $rocedure re-uires an effecti,e roadbed soil resilient modulus/ w!ic! is considered e-ui,alent
to t!e combined effect of all t!e seasonal modulus ,alues. )!ere are se,eral ways to determine t!e
effecti,e roadbed soil resilient modulus<
a.0erform laboratory resilient modulus tests (AAS%)# )69D) on re$resentati,e soil sam$les in
stress and moisture conditions simulating t!ose of t!e $rimary moisture seasons (i.e./ t!e
seasons during w!ic! a significantly different resilient modulus will be obtained). )!is will
establis! a laboratory relations!i$ between resilient modulus and moisture content w!ic! can
be used wit! estimates of in&situ moisture content of t!e soil during ,arious seasons to
generate resilient modulus ,alues for t!ose seasons. )!e $ur$ose of identifying seasonal
moduli is to -uantify t!e relati,e damage a $a,ement is sub1ected to during eac! season of
t!e year.
b.@ac*calculate t!e resilient modulus ,alues for different seasons during t!e year using
deflections measured on inser,ice $a,ements constructed on similar subgrade materials.
c.Estimate summer resilient modulus ,alues from *nown relations!i$s and *nown soil
$ro$erties.
)!e $rogram determines t!e effecti,e roadbed soil resilient modulus by considering t!e seasonal damage.
)!e effecti,e roadbed soil resilient modulus can t!en be in$ut directly into t!e flexible $a,ement design but
must be con,erted to an effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction for rigid $a,ement design.
Since not all agencies !a,e t!e e-ui$ment to run resilient modulus tests/ t!ere are se,eral a$$roximate
correlations t!at !a,e been de,elo$ed to relate ot!er soil strengt! indicators to resilient modulus.
%owe,er/ it must be em$!asi+ed t!at t!ese relations!i$s are a$$roximate at best and s!ould be a$$lied
carefully as t!e resilient modulus is !ig!ly influenced by soil $ro$erties. Agencies are strongly encouraged
to de,elo$ t!eir own relations!i$s based on local materials and climate.
"R A @ C @R "R A A B @ C (R&,alue)
w!ere< w!ere<
@ A 3755 for @R M 35 but A A 3555 for R&,alue M 65 but
can range 975 & 8555 can range from 996 & 3377
@R A alifornia @earing Ratio @ A 777 for R&,alue M 65 but
can range from 8=: & 777
R&,alue A Resistance Value
:7,Day /ean *CC /odulus o( +upture (psi) ScD
)!e concrete modulus of ru$ture is t!e extreme fiber tensile stress under a brea*ing load. )!e modulus of
ru$ture re-uired for in$ut into t!e design $rocedure is t!e mean ,alue determined after 64 days using
t!ird&$oint loading (AAS%)# ):9/ AS)" 94). )!e construction s$ecification for modulus of ru$ture
s!ould not be used as t!e in$ut/ since it re$resents a ,alue below w!ic! only a small $ercent of t!e
distribution may lie. If center&$oint loading is used by an agency/ a correlation must be establis!ed
between t!e two tests to ensure reasonable accuracy of t!e in$ut ,alue.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.8.D/ $. II&39.
:7,Day /ean Elastic /odulus o( Slab Ec
)!e concrete elastic modulus is a re$resentation of t!e rigidity of t!e slab. )!e !ig!er t!e elastic modulus
,alue/ t!e stiffer t!e slab. Slab stresses/ strains/ and deflections are all influenced by t!e elastic modulus
,alue.
)!e elastic modulus ,alue is best determined using $rocedures outlined in AS)" D=:. %owe,er/ t!e
concrete elastic modulus ,alue can be estimated from ot!er concrete strengt! information/ if a,ailable.
For instance<
Ec A 88 C wCC3.7 C (fcE)CC5.7
w!ere<
fcE A concrete com$ressi,e strengt!/ $si (AAS%)# )66/ )3D5/
or AS)" 8:)
w Aunit weig!t of concrete/ $sf
Ec A 3/555/555 C P (ScE & D44.7) G D8.7 Q
w!ere<
ScE A 64&day "odulus of Ru$ture (t!ird&$oint loading)/ as described
in AAS%)# ):9 or AS)" 94
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.8.8/ $. II&3D.
/ean E((ective %,value (psi8in) k
)!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction is a measure of su$$ort $ro,ided to t!e concrete slab by t!e
underlying layers. It is termed t!e effective modulus of subgrade reaction since it considers t!e su$$ort
$ro,ided by all underlying layers< base/ subbase/ and subgrade. As suc!/ it s!ould not be confused wit!
t!e modulus of subgrade reaction for a roadbed soil material ty$ically determined t!roug! $late load tests.
%owe,er/ if t!e slab is to be constructed directly on t!e subgrade/ t!en t!e modulus of subgrade reaction
is t!e same as t!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction. Additionally/ for t!e case of t!e slab $laced
directly on subgrade/ t!e com$osite modulus of subgrade reaction (uncorrected for loss of su$$ort and
rigid foundation) is related to t!e roadbed soil resilient modulus by<
k A "R G 3:.D
DAR'in determines t!e effecti,e modulus of subgrade reaction based on user in$uts of roadbed resilient
modulus (by season)/ subbase ty$e and t!ic*ness/ subbase elastic modulus (by season)/ de$t! of rigid
foundation/ and loss of su$$ort.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 8.6.3/ $. II&89 to II&D7.
Calculate Design $"ic%ness or ESALs
)!e AL button will $erform t!e calculations of a module based on t!e $ro,ided in$uts. If DAR'in is
unable to calculate a ,alue for a module/ it is usually because all re-uired in$uts are not entered/ or some
in$uts are incorrectly entered. )!e error messages t!at are dis$layed s!ould $ro,ide sufficient guidance
to correct t!e $roblem.
Load $rans(er Coe((icient >
)!e load transfer coefficient/ F/ is a factor used in rigid $a,ement design to account for t!e ability of a
concrete $a,ement structure to transfer (distribute) load across discontinuities/ suc! as 1oints or crac*s.
Load transfer de,ices/ aggregate interloc*/ and t!e $resence of tied concrete s!oulders all !a,e an effect
on t!is ,alue. %ig!er F&,alues corres$ond to lower load transfer ca$abilities. As a general guide for t!e
range of F&,alues/ !ig!er F&,alues s!ould be used wit! low k&,alues/ !ig! t!ermal coefficients/ and large
,ariations of tem$erature. %owe,er/ eac! agency is encouraged to de,elo$ criteria for t!eir own local
conditions. )!e following table $ro,ides recommendations for t!e selection of t!e load transfer coefficient<
Asp"alt S"oulder $ied *CC S"oulder
Load $rans(er Devices Load $rans(er Devices
*ave&ent $ype Ces 2o Ces 2o
Fointed 0lain and
Fointed Reinforced 8.6 8.4 & D.D 6.7 & 8.3 8.= & D.6
ontinuously 6.: & 8.6 (GA 6.8 & 6.: (GA
Reinforced
1verall Drainage Coe((icient Cd
)!e drainage coefficient/ d/ incor$orates t!e effect of drainage on rigid $a,ement life. )!e effect of
drainage on $a,ement $erformance is a function of t!e -uality of drainage (i.e./ t!e time re-uired for t!e
$a,ement to drain) and t!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e $a,ement structure is ex$osed to
moisture le,els a$$roac!ing saturation. It is u$ to t!e design engineer to determine t!e relati,e le,els of
eac! of t!ese ,alues for t!e s$ecific conditions being considered for design. )!e -uality of drainage
de$ends on t!e $ermeabilities of t!e base and foundation materials/ t!e design of t!e structural cross
section/ and t!e $resence of edge drains. )!e amount of time during t!e year t!at t!e $a,ement will be
ex$osed to near saturation le,els is a function of $reci$itation and e,a$otrans$iration c!aracteristics t!at
are in!erent to a $articular climatic region. >uidance on t!e selection of t!e drainage coefficient is
$ro,ided in t!e following table<
Kuality of Less )!an >reater )!an
Drainage 32 3 & 72 7 & 672 672
Excellent 3.67 & 3.65 3.65 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.35 3.35
>ood 3.65 & 3.37 3.37 & 3.35 3.35 & 3.55 3.55
Fair 3.37 & 3.35 3.35 & 3.55 3.55 & 5.:5 5.:5
0oor 3.35 & 3.35 3.35 & 5.:5 5.:5 & 5.45 5.45
Very 0oor 3.55 & 5.:5 5.:5 & 5.45 5.45 & 5.95 5.95
'!ere<
Excellent 6 !ours
>ood 3 day
Fair 3 wee*
0oor 3 mont!
Calculate (1ptions) , +igid Structural Design
)!e user is gi,en t!e o$tion of calculating eit!er of t!e following<
3. 0 Slab )!ic*ness
6. ESALs
Eit!er t!e 0 Slab )!ic*ness for a gi,en set of in$uts or t!e number of ESALs t!at a designed $a,ement
can carry are t!e out$ut o$tions for t!is module. alculating a slab t!ic*ness is t!e most common usage
for t!e AAS%)# design e-uation.
+igid *ave&ent $ype
)!e selection of a $a,ement ty$e is $rimarily a matter of agency $reference/ as t!e structural design (i.e./
t!ic*ness) of eac! of t!e t!ree ty$es of rigid $a,ements is treated ali*e in t!e AAS%)# met!od. )!e
$a,ement ty$e selection will affect w!ic! of t!e alculate o$tions are acti,e.
Fointed $lain concrete $a,ements (F00) are s!ort&1ointed (between 7 and a$$roximately 65 feet)
$a,ements wit! no mid&slab reinforcement. )!ey may or may not !a,e dowels for load&transfer.
Fointed reinforced concrete $a,ements (FR0) are longer 1ointed (from 69 to $er!a$s 45 feet) $a,ements
w!ic! are constructed wit! bot! trans,erse and longitudinal steel wire or bar reinforcement.
ontinuously reinforce concrete $a,ements (R0) !a,e continuous longitudinal reinforcement/ may !a,e
trans,erse reinforcement/ and !a,e no trans,erse 1oints exce$t for construction 1oints.
Initial construction costs and maintenance and re!abilitation costs for eac! rigid $a,ement ty$e will be
-uite different/ and s!ould !a,e an im$act on t!e $a,ement ty$e selection.
+igid Structural Design Selections
)!e following o$tions are a,ailable to t!e user to $erform additional calculations for Rigid Structural
0a,ement Design<
3. )rans,erse Foint S$acing
6. Longitudinal Steel Design
8. )rans,erse Steel Design
D. )ie @ar Steel Design
7. Foint Load )ransfer
=. )rans,erse Foint Reser,oir and Sealant Design
9. S!oulder Design
4. Additional 0a,ement Layers Design
Some o$tions are not a$$licable for all of t!e $a,ement ty$es. If t!e o$tion is not a,ailable/ it will be
Igrayed outI on t!e $ull&down menu and t!erefore not accessible.
It is recommended t!at eac! o$tion be selected and a$$ro$riate ,alues entered in t!e order s!own to get
t!e most benefit out of t!is feature. '!ile t!ese o$tions are not a $art of t!e structural design of t!e
$a,ement/ t!ey are im$ortant considerations in rigid $a,ement design.
Calculate (/odule) , +igid Structural Design
)!e calculate o$tion will $erform t!e calculations of a module based on t!e $ro,ided in$uts. Its function is
identical to clic*ing on or selecting t!e AL button in t!e module. If DAR'in is unable to calculate a
,alue for a module/ it is usually because all re-uired in$uts are not entered/ or some in$uts are incorrectly
entered. )!e error messages t!at are dis$layed s!ould $ro,ide sufficient guidance to correct t!e $roblem.
Li(e Cycle Cost
Life&cycle costs refer to all costs (and/ in t!e com$lete sense/ all benefits) w!ic! are in,ol,ed in t!e
$ro,ision of a $a,ement during its com$lete life&cycle. )!ese include/ of course/ construction costs/
maintenance costs/ re!abilitation costs/ and sal,age costs. ILife&cycle costsI is a term used to call
attention to t!e fact t!at a com$lete and current economic analysis is needed if alternati,es are to be truly
and correctly com$ared to eac! ot!er.
0ro1ect Descri$tion
Analysis 0eriod
Discount Rate (2)
Initial onstruction osts
Initial onstruction osts @utton
Initial onstruction 0ay Items
Re!abilitation osts
Re!abilitation osts @utton
Re!abilitation 0ay Items
Sal,age Value
Sal,age Value @utton
Sal,age Value 0ay Items
0ay Items Library
Life ycle ost Kuantity Definitions
alculate
#nitial Construction *ay #te&s
In order to calculate t!e total costs associated wit! initial construction/ subse-uent re!abilitations/ and
sal,age/ $ay items must be defined for eac! and t!en t!e a$$ro$riate $ay items must be selected. )!e
$ay items are defined t!roug! t!e 0ay Item Library/ w!ere t!e following information is re-uested< $ay item
name/ unit/ unit cost/ layer of $a,ement in w!ic! $ay item is used/ a$$lication rate/ material density/
-uantity/ and number of $ay items used. (ot all of t!ese are a$$licable for eac! $ay itemH t!at
determination is based on t!e unit w!ic! is selected by t!e user. DAR'in will calculate t!e total -uantity
of eac! $ay item (w!ere a$$ro$riate)/ t!e total cost of t!at $ay item/ and t!e total cost of all of t!e $ay
items for eac! $ro1ect $!ase (initial construction/ re!abilitation/ and sal,age).
+e"abilitation *ay #te&s
Salvage Value *ay #te&s
Li(e Cycle Cost (1ptions)
2et *resent Value
)!e term Inet $resent ,alueI ((0V) refers to t!e net cumulati,e $resent ,alue of a series of costs and
benefits stretc!ing o,er time. It is deri,ed by a$$lying to eac! cost or benefit in t!e series an a$$ro$riate
discount factor/ w!ic! con,erts eac! cost or benefit to a $resent ,alue. )wo related considerations
underlie t!e need for com$uting $resent ,alues< (3) t!e fact t!e money !as an intrinsic ca$acity to earn
interest o,er time (*nown as t!e time ,alue of money) due to its $roducti,eness and scarcity/ and (6) t!e
need in an economic study to com$are or sum incremental outlays or sa,ings of money in different time
$eriods.
Equivalent .ni(or& Annual Cost
A uniform annual cost (or benefit) is t!e e-ui,alent/ s$read o,er t!e entire $eriod of analysis/ of all
incremental disbursements or costs incurred on (or benefits recei,ed from) a $ro1ect.
$otal Cost
)!ere are t!ree a,ailable forms of out$ut for life cycle costs. In )otal ost/ t!e costs are re$orted bac* as
t!ey are in$ut. )!e user must *ee$ trac* of !ow costs were in$ut< for one direction/ for t!e total $ro1ect/ or
by some ot!er basis.
Cost8/ile
If t!e out$ut is desired in ostG"ile/ t!e total costs of t!e $ro1ect in one direction are di,ided by t!e $ro1ect
lengt! in miles.
Cost8Lane /ile
If t!e out$ut is desired in ostGLane "ile/ t!e total costs of t!e $ro1ect in one direction are di,ided by t!e
$roduct of t!e $ro1ect lengt! and t!e number of lanes in one direction. )!is assumes t!at all of t!e costs
are in$ut for one direction.
Analysis *eriod (Cears)
)!e design life is t!e $eriod of time for w!ic! an analysis is to be conducted. It is also referred to as t!e
analysis $eriod. )!e following are recommended analysis $eriods for ,arious $a,ements based on t!eir
functional classification<
)ig"way Analysis *eriod
Conditions (years)
%ig! ,olume urban 85 & 75
%ig! ,olume rural 65 & 75
Low ,olume $a,ed 37 & 67
Low ,olume 35 & 65
aggregate surface
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 6.33/ $. II&9.
Discount +ate (4)
)!e Discount Rate is a $ercentage figure & usually ex$ressed as an annual rate & re$resenting t!e rate of
interest money can be assumed to earn o,er t!e $eriod of time under analysis. It !as been defined as t!e
Io$$ortunity cost of ca$ital/ I or t!e foregone income from not in,esting t!e $ro$osed funds at t!e best
a,ailable rate. A go,ernmental unit t!at decides to s$end money im$ro,ing a !ig!way/ for exam$le/ loses
t!e o$$ortunity to Iin,estI t!is money elsew!ere. Discount factors deri,ed as a function of t!e discount
rate and time $eriod relati,e to t!e $resent can be used to con,ert $eriodic costs for a $ro1ect into $resent
,alue or into e-ui,alent uniform annual cost. %owe,er/ calculating benefits in constant dollars and using
mar*et rates of interest is not correct because t!e mar*et rate of return includes an allowance for ex$ected
inflation. %ence/ if future benefits and costs are calculated in constant dollars/ only t!e real cost of ca$ital
s!ould be re$resented in t!e discount rate used. )!e discount rate assumes annual end&of&year
com$ounding/ unless ot!erwise s$ecified. )!e sum of S355 in cas! today is e-ui,alent/ at a 35 $ercent
discount rate/ to S335 a year from now/ S363 at t!e end of t!e second year/ and S67:.89 at t!e end of t!e
tent! year. orres$ondingly/ a commitment to s$end S67:.89 in t!e tent! year discounted at 35 $ercent
!as a $resent ,alue of S355. An !istorical analysis of discount rates in t!e !ig!way industry !as s!own a
,alue of between 8 and 7 $ercent to be fairly ty$ical.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ Section 8.4.6/ $$. I&D4&D:.
#nitial Construction Costs
*er(or&ance *eriod (Cears)
)!e ex$ected life of t!e initially constructed $a,ement is ex$ressed in terms of its $erformance $eriod.
)!is is t!e $eriod o,er w!ic! t!e $a,ement will remain in ser,ice wit!out ma1or re!abilitation/ suc! as an
o,erlay. )!e $erformance $eriod will ,ary for eac! different $a,ement ty$e/ design/ climate/ traffic/ and
ot!er factors. A decision on t!e a$$ro$riate $erformance $eriod for initial construction is best based on t!e
userEs ex$erience.
Cear /aintenance Costs -egin
In order to com$ute t!e total cost of a $a,ement $ro1ect/ t!e maintenance costs for t!at $a,ement can be
considered. %owe,er/ it is recogni+ed t!at different ty$es of $a,ement construction incur maintenance
costs at different times. Agencies may s$ecify t!e year t!at maintenance costs for a $ro1ect are to begin/
based on ex$erience wit! similar $a,ements. )!e ,alue to in$ut is calculated from t!e number of years
from $a,ement construction (tA5) until maintenance begins. In considering t!e costs of $a,ement
maintenance/ it is $referable to limit t!e costs to t!ose t!at are uni-ue to t!e $a,ement ty$e. )!us/ snow
remo,al or mowing s!ould not be included/ but 1oint resealing or crac* sealing s!ould.
Annual /aintenance Costs (B)
)!e annual maintenance costs are an estimate of t!e costs for $a,ement maintenance o,er a year. )!ese
costs s!ould include items related to t!e maintenance of t!e $a,ementEs condition and will ,ary by
$a,ement ty$e and design. If $a,ement maintenance costs are not an annual ex$enditure/ an estimate
s!ould be made of t!e annual costs. '!ile annual maintenance costs are commonly ex$ressed on a $er
mile or $er lane mile basis/ in t!is instance maintenance costs/ as all ot!er costs/ s!ould be entered for t!e
entire $ro1ect.
Annual 4 #ncrease in /aintenance Costs
0ro,ision is made for increasing costs of $a,ement maintenance t!roug! t!e in$ut of an Annual 2
Increase in "aintenance osts. )!ese costs may increase due to inflation/ t!e increased wear and tear
on t!e $a,ement/ or a combination of bot!.
*ay #te&s
)!e 0ay Items are t!e cost categories for eac! item to be considered as initial construction costs. )!ese
items s!ould be defined in t!e 0ay Item Library (described elsew!ere). !oosing 0ay Items brings u$ t!e
Initial onstruction 0ay Items screen/ w!ic! is used to identify w!ic! 0ay Items from t!e 0ay Item Library
will be used in t!e initial construction. Selecting Select 0ay Item t!en $ermits t!e selection of all desired
construction cost elements.
+e"abilitation Costs
Re!abilitation costs are needed if t!e $erformance $eriod for t!e initial construction $eriod is not e-ual to
t!e $ro1ectEs analysis $eriod. A re!abilitation also !as associated wit! it a $erformance $eriod and
DAR'in $ermits u$ to six re!abilitations. In t!e dis$lay of re!abilitation costs/ t!ey are broug!t bac* to
eit!er (et 0resent Value or E-ui,alent ;niform Annual osts/ de$ending on t!e o$tion selected by t!e
user.
+e"abilitation Cear
)!e Re!abilitation Rear for Re!abilitation O3 is t!e same as t!e $erformance $eriod for initial construction.
)!is ,alue is directly in$ut by DAR'in. )!e re!abilitation year for eac! subse-uent re!abilitation is e-ual
to t!e sum of all $receding $erformance $eriods.
*er(or&ance *eriod years
)!e ex$ected life of a re!abilitation is ex$ressed in terms of a $erformance $eriod. )!is will ,ary for eac!
different $a,ement ty$e/ design/ re!abilitation/ climate/ traffic/ and ot!er factors. A decision on t!e
a$$ro$riate $erformance $eriod for a re!abilitation is best based on t!e userEs ex$erience.
Cear /aintenance Costs -egin
In order to com$ute t!e total cost of a re!abilitation/ t!e maintenance costs associated wit! t!at
re!abilitation can be considered. It is recogni+ed t!at different ty$es of $a,ement construction and
re!abilitation incur maintenance costs at different times and different rates. )!e year t!at maintenance
costs for a $ro1ect are to begin to accrue may be s$ecified/ based on $ast ex$erience wit! similar
$a,ement $ro1ects. )!e ,alue to in$ut is calculated from t!e number of years from $a,ement construction
(tA5) until maintenance costs for t!e re!abilitation begin. For exam$le/ if maintenance costs begin in t!e
second year after t!e re!abilitation and t!e initial $erformance $eriod of construction is 65 years/ t!en t!e
Rear "aintenance osts @egin is 66.
Annual /aintenance Costs (B)
)!e annual maintenance costs are an estimate of t!e costs for $a,ement maintenance o,er a year. )!ese
costs s!ould include items related to t!e maintenance of t!e $a,ementEs condition and will ,ary by
$a,ement ty$e and design. If $a,ement maintenance costs are not an annual ex$enditure/ an estimate
s!ould be made of t!e annual costs.
Annual 4 #ncrease in /aintenance Costs
0ro,ision is made for increasing costs of $a,ement maintenance t!roug! t!e in$ut of an Annual 2
Increase in "aintenance osts. )!ese costs may increase due to inflation/ t!e increased wear and tear
on t!e $a,ement/ or a combination of bot!.
*ay #te&s
)!e 0ay Items are t!e cost categories for eac! item to be considered as re!abilitation costs. )!ese items
s!ould be defined in t!e 0ay Item Library (described elsew!ere). !oosing 0ay Items brings u$ t!e 0ay
Items screen/ w!ic! is used to identify w!ic! 0ay Items from t!e 0ay Item Library will be used in
re!abilitation. Selecting 0ay Item t!en $ermits t!e selection of all desired re!abilitation cost elements.
2ext +e"abilitation
)!e sum of $erformance $eriods for initial construction as well as all subse-uent re!abilitations must add
u$ to t!e analysis $eriod entered in t!e main Life ycle ost window. )!e (ext Re!ab button will bring u$
a new re!abilitation for w!ic! additional costs can be in$ut. For eac! new re!abilitation/ t!en/ a new set of
$ay items needs to be selected.
*revious +e"abilitation
'!en t!ere are multi$le re!abilitations designed/ t!e 0re,ious Re!ab button returns to t!e $receding
re!abilitation window.
Salvage Value
Inclusion of a sal,age ,alue for a $a,ement recogni+es t!e fact t!at following t!e analysis $eriod t!ere
may still be some residual ,alue in t!e $a,ement. )!is can be significant in t!e case of some $a,ements
in w!ic! many $ortions of t!e materials are reusable. )!e $ractice of recycling $a,ements is an excellent
exam$le of w!ere t!e sal,age ,alue conce$t is a$$licable.
)o include sal,age ,alue costs/ it is recommended t!at a 0ay Item be included in t!e 0ay Item Library for
Sal,age Value. )!is s!ould be a lum$ sum based on t!e designerEs best a,ailable information/ unless
more s$ecific sal,age data are a,ailable on a layer by layer basis.
As sal,age is a return at t!e end of t!e analysis $eriod/ sal,age ,alues !a,e an o$$osite sign t!an do
initial construction and re!abilitation costs.
Calculate $otal Cost
#nce initial construction/ re!abilitation/ and sal,age ,alue costs are all in$ut/ alculate )otal ost sums
t!ese u$ using t!e e,aluation o$tion selected by t!e user/ eit!er (0V or E;A/ and based on total costs/
costs $er mile/ or costs $er lane mile. @eneat! t!e ost Information box is a summary of !ow t!e costs
were calculated.
*ay #te& Library
)!e 0ay Item Library is t!e mec!anism by w!ic! costs for t!e L module are in$ut. )!is library can be
built u$ to 3555 items/ wit! eac! item defined by its unit/ unit cost/ ot!er material attributes w!ere
a$$licable/ -uantity/ and location wit!in t!e $a,ement structure. #nce t!e $ay item library is built u$/ t!e
list is accessible from t!e construction/ re!abilitation/ or sal,age screens to select w!ic! $ay items will be
used.
*ay #te& List
)!e 0ay Item List dis$lays all of t!e 0ay Items entered in t!e 0ay item Library. )!e list can be added to or
subtracted from using t!e (ew and Delete buttons. As items are added to t!e 0ay Item List/ t!ey are
stored in al$!abetical order. It is not $ossible to !a,e two $ay items wit! t!e same name/ e,en if t!ey are
used in different layers/ as t!e $rogram does not recogni+e t!at le,el of distinction. If it is desired to !a,e
a single item used in different layers/ it is suggested t!at t!e names be c!anged slig!tly/ suc! as by adding
t!e layer number to t!e end of t!e name.
.nit
0ay Items are defined according to t!eir ;nit of $urc!ase or deli,ery. )!e units are lin*ed to t!e $ro1ect
-uantities and dimensions/ so t!oug!t must be gi,en to t!e assignment of a unit to a $ay item. If t!e
material is deli,ered in one of t!e units $ro,ided but its -uantity is not lin*ed to t!e $ro1ect dimensions/ t!e
user will need to $erform intermediate calculations and select t!e Lum$ Sum or Eac! unit and in$ut costs
accordingly. )!e list of a,ailable units is accessed by clic*ing on t!e down arrow to t!e rig!t of t!e ;nit
window.
.nit Cost
)!e ;nit ost is lin*ed to t!e ;nit selected for eac! 0ay Item. )!e ;nit ost is ex$ressed in dollars (S). A
;nit ost must be entered for eac! 0ay Item in order for costs to be com$uted.
*ay #te& Layer
Eac! 0ay Item must be associated wit! a layer in order for -uantities to be calculated. ;$ to 4 layers can
be defined for Initial onstruction Layers and u$ to 8 o,erlays are $ermitted. Eac! o,erlay can be
constructed in u$ to 6 layers. Layer dimensions are defined in alculate/ Kuantities.
Application +ate
If t!e unit is L@GSR or >ALGSR of material t!at is s$rayed or a$$lied to t!e area of t!e $a,ement/ an
A$$lication Rate must be entered in order to calculate total -uantities. )!is is common w!en t!e 0ay Item
is a material t!at is s$read or s$rayed on a surface wit!out building u$ an a$$reciable t!ic*ness. )ac*
coats/ seal coats/ $rime coats/ interlayers/ and ot!er t!in a$$lications are exam$les of items re-uiring an
a$$lication rate.
/aterial Density
For materials t!at com$rise an entire layer (suc! as as$!alt concrete or aggregate) w!ose units are
ex$ressed in )ons or 0ounds/ a material density is re-uired in order to calculate total -uantities. A ty$ical
density for as$!alt concrete is 3D5 0F/ aggregate is 3D5 0F/ and 0 is 3D9 0F.
Auantity
)!e -uantity of t!e material is necessary for any calculation of total costs w!en t!e units is IEA%I. All
ot!er -uantities are calculated wit!in t!e $rogram from t!e defined -uantities. (ote t!at t!e -uantity
dis$layed in t!is column is t!e -uantity entered by t!e user and not t!e -uantity calculated by t!e $rogram.
(umber of 0ay Items
)!e (umber of 0ay Items column s!ows t!e calculated number of $ay items t!at t!e $rogram is using to
obtain total costs. )!e a$$ro$riate number is calculated based on t!e $ro1ect dimensions and t!e
c!aracteristics of eac! of t!e $ay items.
0ay Item ost
)!e 0ay Item ost is t!e calculated total cost for eac! $ay item. It is obtained by multi$lying t!e ;nit ost
by t!e (umber of 0ay Items (described abo,e) or t!e Kuantity/ w!ic!e,er is a$$licable.*ay #te&s .sed
)!e 0ay Items ;sed dis$lay s!ows t!e 0ay Items selected for eac! $erformance $eriod. E,ery selected
$ay item is s!own wit! its assigned ;nit/ Layer/ #t!er Attributes/ and ;nit cost. Also/ w!en a$$licable/ t!e
calculated -uantity of t!at item/ its cost/ and t!e total costs for t!e $erformance $eriod of interest are also
dis$layed.
Li(e Cycle Cost Auantity De(initions
In order for t!e Life ycle ost module to calculate total -uantities of materials/ eac! $a,ement layerEs
dimensions need to be defined. In t!e Kuantities dialog box/ t!e user is re-uested to in$ut information on
t!e $ro1ect lengt!/ t!e number of lanes/ t!e $a,ed widt!/ t!e t!ic*ness of eac! of t!e $a,ement layers/ and
t!e t!ic*ness of eac! o,erlay layer. Alt!oug! some t!ic*nesses may be in$ut or calculated elsew!ere/
t!ese are not automatically transferred o,er to t!e Life ycle ost module and must be reentered !ere.
*ro@ect Lengt" (&i)
)!e $ro1ect lengt! is re-uired to enable DAR'in to calculate total -uantities for eac! of t!e $ay items used
in t!e $ro1ect. )!e total $ro1ect lengt! s!ould be entered/ and it s!ould not be con,erted into total lane
miles or two&directional lengt!. It can also be t!oug!t of as t!e centerline lengt! of t!e $ro1ect in one
direction.
2u&ber o( Lanes in 1ne Direction
)!e number of lanes in one direction can be entered if costs $er lane mile are desired as an out$ut. )!is
s!ould be an integer greater t!an one and s!ould not exceed a ,alue of six or se,en.
#nitial Construction Layer $"ic%ness and 3idt"
Dimensions of t!e initial construction are in$ut in t!is area. ;$ to eig!t layers are $ermitted/ w!ic! could
consist of surface/ base/ and subbase layers/ as well as any interlayers or non&structural ty$e of layer. )!e
t!ic*ness of eac! layer used in initial construction must be in$ut in inc!es/ and t!e widt! of eac! layer
must be in$ut in feet. (ote t!at different layers can !a,e different widt!sH t!is is t!e case in many designs
w!ere bases or ot!er subsurface layers extend beyond t!e widt! of t!e $a,ement surface.
1verlay Layer $"ic%ness and 3idt"
Kuantities for o,erlays may also be calculated t!roug! t!e assignment of $ay items to an o,erlay.
DAR'in $ermits u$ to t!ree o,erlays/ eac! wit! two layers. )!e two layers $ermitted in eac! o,erlay may
!a,e se$arate t!ic*nesses/ but only one widt!. #,erlay 3 is t!e first o,erlay constructed (directly on to$ of
t!e initial construction surface) and o,erlay 8 is t!e last o,erlay constructed.
2ew *ay #te&
)!e 0ay Item List is built u$ t!roug! t!e in$ut of (ew 0ay Items. Eac! $ay item must be in$ut se$arately
and will be sa,ed in t!e 0ay Item List/ along wit! t!e ot!er attributes assigned to it.
*ay #te& Selection
)!e 0ay Item Selection window is t!e means by w!ic! cost or $ay items entered into t!e 0ay Item Library
can be selected for use in a s$ecific $ro1ect. Ilic*ingI on an entry in t!e 0ay Items List will select t!at
itemH clic*ing on it again will deselect t!at item. Any number of items may be selectedH t!ose t!at are
selected will a$$ear wit! a dar*ened bac*ground.
Calculate
)!e calculate button will $erform t!e calculation of t!e module based on t!e $ro,ided in$uts.
#nitial Construction
Initial onstruction osts are t!ose costs associated wit! t!e initial $erformance $eriod. t!ese include t!e
$a,ementEs construction costs/ as well as maintenance costs. )!is button accesses t!e screen wit! t!e
Initial onstruction osts information.
+e"abilitation Costs
Re!abilitation osts are all ex$enses associated wit! ma1or re!abilitation $ro1ects/ suc! as o,erlays.
)!ese are in$ut on a re!abilitation by re!abilitation basis for u$ to = re!abilitations. )!is button accesses
t!e screen wit! t!e Re!abilitation osts information.
Salvage Value
If an agency uses a Sal,age Value conce$t/ t!e sal,age ,alue ,an be in$ut and t!erefore included as $art
of t!e Life ycle ost Analysis. )!is button accesses t!e screen wit! t!e Sal,age Value information.
67,%ip ESALs (#nitial *er(or&ance *eriod)/ w67
)!e design 34&*i$ E-ui,alent Single&Axle Load (ESAL) a$$lications are t!e cumulati,e number of 34&*i$
ESAL a$$lications t!at t!e $a,ement is ex$ected to carry o,er its initial $erformance $eriod. )!e 34&*i$
ESAL a$$lications is com$uted by con,erting t!e ex$ected distribution of all truc* axle loads to t!e
e-ui,alent number of 34&*i$ single&axle loads using t!e load e-ui,alency factors (LEF) w!ic! were
de,elo$ed at t!e AAS%# Road )est. In t!is $rogram/ w34 can be obtained in t!ree ways<
3.Direct In$ut. If a design engineer !as a good estimate of t!e ex$ected number of 34&*i$
ESAL a$$lications or merely wants to e,aluate t!e effect of different w34 ,alues on t!e
design/ t!en t!e number of 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications ex$ected o,er t!e design $eriod
can be directly in$ut.
6.Sim$le alculation 0rocedure. )!e sim$le calculation $rocedure $ro,ides an estimate of
t!e 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications by assuming an initial a,erage truc* factor/ )F/ for all
truc*s. Since t!e truc* factor is an a,erage ,alue re$resenting all truc* classifications/ it
may not $roduce accurate results/ de$ending on t!e distribution of truc* axle weig!ts.
)!e calculation $rocedure is as follows<
w34 A AD) C )?SG355 C >F)?S C )F C >F)F C DDG355 C DLG355 C 8=7.67
w!ere<
w34 A Design 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications for design $eriod n
AD) A )wo&way a,erage daily traffic/ ,e!iclesGday
>F)?S A >rowt! Factor on Initial )ruc* Volume
A P (3 B gG355)CCn & 3 Q G P gG355 Q for g not e-ual to 5
w!ere g A rate of growt!G355 and
n A initial $erformance $eriod/ n$ or analysis $eriod/ na in years
((ote< If g A 5/ t!en >FAD) A design $eriod)
)?S A 0ercent of AD) t!at are truc*s (F%'A lassification 7 and abo,e)
)F A A,erage initial truc* factor for all truc*s in F%'A lassification 7 and
abo,e/ ESALGtruc*
>F)F A >rowt! Factor on )F estimate
A P (3 B gG355)CCn & 3 Q G P gG355Q for g not e-ual to 5
w!ere g A annual growt! rate ($ercent) and
n A $erformance $eriod/ n$ or analysis $eriod/ na in years
((ote< If g A 5/ t!en >F)F A design $eriod)
DD A Directional Distribution/ or t!e $ercent of t!e truc* traffic
t!at is in t!e design direction
DL A Lane Distribution/ or t!e $ercent of t!e one&way truc* traffic
t!at is in t!e design (generally outside) lane
8.Rigorous alculation 0rocedure. )!e rigorous calculation $rocedure follows a $rocedure similar
to t!e Sim$le alculation 0rocedure but brea*s down t!e calculation by truc* ty$e. It considers
t!e ex$ected number of ,e!icles wit!in eac! ,e!icle classification and utili+es s$ecific truc*
factors for eac! indi,idual ,e!icle ty$e. )!is can be s!own as<
wi A AD) C >F)?S C )?Si G355 C )Fi C >F)Fi C DDi G355 C DLi G355 C 8=7.67
w!ere<
wi A 34&*i$ ESAL a$$lications for F%'A Ve!icle lass i
AD) A )wo&way a,erage daily traffic/ ,e!iclesGday
>FAD) A >rowt! Factor on AD) estimate
A P (3 B gG355)CCn & 3 Q G P gG355 Q for g not e-ual to 5
((ote< If g A 5/ t!en >FAD) A design $eriod)
)?Si A 0ercent of AD) t!at is F%'A lassification i
)Fi A )ruc* factor for F%'A lassification i/ ESALGF%'A lass i
>F)Fi A >rowt! Factor on )F estimate
A P (3 B gG355)CCn & 3 Q G P gG355 Q for g not e-ual 5
((ote< If g A 5/ t!en >F)F A design $eriod)
DDi A Directional Distribution/ or t!e $ercent of t!e F%'A Ve!icle lassification i
t!at is in t!e design direction
DLi A Lane Distribution/ or t!e $ercent of t!e F%'A Ve!icle lassification i in t!e
design lane
)!en
i A 38
w34 A wi
i A 3
F%'A Ve!icle lassifications below 7 can generally be ignored in t!e determination of design 34&*i$ ESAL
a$$lications as t!eir contribution is ,ery small.
Ref<3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art I/ Section 3.D.3/ $. I&:.
3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ A$$endix D/ $. D&3.
#nitial Serviceability po
Initial ser,iceability is t!e ser,iceability (or rideability) of a $a,ement immediately after construction.
Ser,iceability is rated on a scale of 5 & 7/ wit! 7 being a $erfectly smoot! $a,ement and 5 being a ,ery
roug! or im$assable $a,ement. For most cases/ t!e initial ser,iceability s!ould be abo,e D.5. A,erage
results from t!e AAS%# Road )est were<
Rigid 0a,ements $o A D.7
Flexible 0a,ements $o A D.6
$er&inal Serviceability pt
)erminal ser,iceability is t!e lowest ser,iceability (or rideability) of a $a,ement t!at can be tolerated before
some sort of re!abilitation is re-uired. Ser,iceability is rated on a scale of 5 & 7/ wit! 7 being a $erfectly
smoot! $a,ement and 5 being a ,ery roug! or im$assable $a,ement. )!e terminal ser,iceability will be
between 6 and 8 in most cases/ de$ending u$on t!e functional classification of t!e roadway.
Recommendations for t!e selection of t!e terminal ser,iceability are<
%ig! Volume (N 35/555 AD)) $t A 8.5 & 8.7
"edium Volume (8555 & 35/555 AD)) $t A 6.7 & 8.5
Low Volume (M 8555 AD)) $t A 6.5 & 6.7
+eliability Level +
)!e reliability factor is a means of incor$orating a degree of certainty into t!e design $rocess to ensure
t!at t!e design will $erform its intended function o,er its design life and under t!e conditions encountered
during its o$eration. As defined by t!e AAS%)# Design >uide/ reliability is t!e $robability t!at a $a,ement
structure will sur,i,e t!e design $eriod traffic. >enerally/ as traffic ,olumes become larger/ t!e $enalties
for a $remature $a,ement failure increase dramaticallyH t!erefore/ !ig! ,olume roadways must be
constructed wit! a muc! !ig!er le,el of reliability t!an low ,olume roadways. Recommendations for t!e
selection of t!e reliability ,alue are<
Functional +eco&&ended Level o( +eliability
Classi(ication .rban +ural
Interstate and #t!er 47.5 & ::.: 45.5 & ::.:
Freeways
0rinci$al Arterials 45.5 & ::.5 97.5 & :7.5
ollectors 45.5 & :7.5 97.5 & :7.5
Local 75.5 & 45.5 75.5 & 45.5
'!en considering reliability in staged construction (or $lanned re!abilitation)/ com$ound reliability must be
ta*en into account. If t!e o,erall reliability desired is a certain ,alue/ x/ and n number of stages are
$lanned/including t!e initial construction/ t!e reliability for eac! of t!e stages is x CC3Gn. For exam$le/ if t!e
o,erall desired reliability is :52 and two stages are $lanned/ t!e reliability factor for eac! stage is
5.:5 CC3G6/ or :72.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.3.8/ $. II&:.
1verall Standard Deviation So
)!e o,erall standard de,iation accounts for all error or ,ariability associated wit! construction/ including
,ariability in material $ro$erties/ roadbed soil $ro$erties/ traffic/ climatic conditions/ and -uality of
construction. Ideally/ t!ese ,alues s!ould be determined from local usage. %owe,er/ in t!e absence of
suc! ,alues/ t!e AAS%)# Design >uide ma*es t!e following recommendations<
*ave&ent $ype So
3it" $ra((ic Error 3it"out $ra((ic Error
Rigid 5.8: 5.8D
Flexible 5.D: 5.DD
'it! t!e incor$oration of t!e o,erall standard de,iation factor/ a,erage ,alues for all material $ro$erties
and ot!er design in$uts s!ould be used.
Ref< 3:4= AAS%)# Design >uide/ 0art II/ Section 6.3.8/ $. II&:.
Slab $"ic%ness (or *er(or&ance *eriod $ra((ic
DAR'in can be used to estimate t!e allowable ESALs t!at a gi,en $a,ement structure can carry based
on a s$ecific $a,ement design. In suc! a usage/ one of t!e in$uts is t!e slab t!ic*ness.
*ro@ect Description
)!e 0ro1ect descri$tion is a means of identifying t!e $a,ement $ro1ect under e,aluation. Descri$ti,e terms
can be used to aid in later re&identification of t!e $ro1ect.
)!e most descri$ti,e label $ossible s!ould be gi,en to furt!er t!e $ro1ect. For exam$le/ t!e $ro1ect named
AIR :D&8(3:7)35D mig!t be gi,en t!e descri$tion II&:D E@ from S)A =7DB88 to =84B96/ in %ill,ale
ountyI. DAR'in $ro,ides sufficient s$ace for entering a com$lete descri$tion of t!e $ro1ect.
;se t!is field to enter any rele,ant informationabout t!e $ro1ect. ;se t!e scroll bars on t!e rig!t side of t!e
window to scroll if multi$le lines of text are entered.
Stage Construction
Ex$erience !as s!own t!at regardless of t!e structural ca$acity of some $a,ements/ t!ere may be a
maximum $erformance $eriod associated wit! a gi,en initial structure sub1ected to significant le,els of
!ea,y truc* traffic. If t!is $erformance $eriod is less t!an t!e analysis $eriod/ t!ere may be a need to
consider stage construction/ or $lanned re!abilitation/ in t!e design analysis. In considering stage
construction/ it is es$ecially im$ortant to recogni+e t!e need to com$ound t!e reliability for eac! indi,idual
stage of t!e strategy. For exam$le/ if eac! stage of a 8&stage strategy (i.e./ an initial $a,ement design wit!
two o,erlays) !as a :5 $ercent reliability/ t!e o,erall reliability of t!e design strategy is 5.:8/ or 96.:
$ercent. on,ersely/ if an o,erall reliability of :7 $ercent is desired for t!e same 8&stage $ro1ect/ t!e
indi,idual reliability for eac! stage must be 5.:73G8. DAR'in will ma*e t!e necessary ad1ustments to t!e
reliability factor based on t!e number of stages selected by t!e designer.

DARWIN

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