Pavement Design

(AASHTO Method)
Prof.Dr.Mustafa KARAAHN
 Reliability
ZR = standard normal deviate. The standard normal
table value corresponding to a desired probability of
exceedance level.
For example, a designer may specify that there should
only be a 5 % chance that the design does not last a
specified number of years (e.g., 20 years). This is the
same as stating that there should be a 95 % chance
that the design does last the specified number of years
(e.g., 20 years). Then, the reliability is 95 % (100 % 5
%) and the corresponding ZR value is -1.645 (see 1993
AASHTO Guide, Table 4.1, p. I-62).
 Reliability
So = combined standard error of the traffic prediction and
performance prediction.
This variable defines how widely the two basic design
inputs, traffic and performance, can vary. For instance,
traffic may be estimated at 2,000,000 ESALs over 20 years.
However, actual traffic may turn out to be 2,500,000 ESALs
over 20 years due to unanticipated population growth.
Similarly, pavement design factors may turn out to be
different than estimated. What these two brief examples
are expressing is that structural design input values can
vary from those initially chosen and the equation must
account for this somehow.
The more these values vary, the higher the value of So.
PSI (Present Serviciability Index)
 Serviceable Life
The difference in present serviceability index
(PSI) between construction and end-of-life is the
serviceability life.
The equation compares this to default values of 4.2 for
the immediately-after-construction value and 1.5 for
end-of-life (terminal serviceability). Typical values used
now are:
Post-construction: 4.0 5.0 depending upon
construction quality, smoothness, etc.
End-of-life (called terminal serviceability): 1.5 3.0
depending upon road use (e.g., interstate highway,
urban arterial, residential)
Recommended Values of ZR and So

- Typical values of So used are 0.40 to 0.50 for

flexible pavements and 0.35 to 0.40 for rigid
pavements.
 Elastisite Modl
The modulus of elasticity for a material is
basically the slope of its stress-strain plot
within the elastic range.
It is important to remember that a measure
of a materials modulus of elasticity is not a
measure of strength. Strength is the stress
needed to break or rupture a material (as
illustrated in Figure 1), whereas elasticity is
a measure of how well a material returns
to its original shape and size.

Elastic modulus is sometimes called Youngs

modulus after Thomas Young who
published the concept back in 1807. An
elastic modulus (E) can be determined for
any solid material and represents a constant
ratio of stress and strain (a stiffness):
Resilient Modulus (Mr)
The Resilient Modulus (MR) is a measure of
subgrade material stiffness.
A materials resilient modulus is actually an
estimate of its modulus of elasticity (E).
While the modulus of elasticity is stress
divided by strain for a slowly applied load,
resilient modulus is stress divided by strain
for rapidly applied loads like those
experienced by pavements.
 Triaxial Resilient Modulus Test
AASHTO T 292: Resilient Modulus of Subgrade Soils and
Untreated Base/Subbase Materials
A repeated axial cyclic stress of fixed magnitude, load
duration and cyclic duration is applied to a cylindrical
test specimen.
While the specimen is subjected to this dynamic
cyclic stress, it is also subjected to a static confining
stress provided by a triaxial pressure chamber.
The total resilient (recoverable) axial deformation
response of the specimen is measured and used to
calculate the resilient modulus using the following
equation:
 Test Procedure
The specimen is a
cylindrical sample
normally 100 mm (4 in.)
in diameter by 200 mm
(8 in.) high.
The sample is generally
compacted in the
laboratory; however,
undisturbed samples
are best if available
(which is rare).
 Test Procedure
The specimen is
enclosed vertically by a
thin rubber
membrane and on both
ends by rigid surfaces
(platens)
The sample is placed in
a pressure chamber and
a confining pressure is
applied
 Test Procedure
The deviator stress is
the axial stress applied
by the testing apparatus
(s1) minus the confining
stress (s3). In other
words, the deviator
stress is the repeated
stress applied to the
sample. These stresses
are further illustrated in
Figure
 Test Procedure
The resulting strains are
calculated over a gauge
length, which is designated
by L
Basically, the initial
condition of the sample is
unloaded (no induced
stress). When the deviator
stress is applied, the sample
deforms, changing in length
This change in sample
length is directly
proportional to the
stiffness.
AASHTO Design Equation
 The Structural Number (SN)
(SN) represents the overall structural
requirement needed to sustain the designs
traffic loadings.
It is an abstract number that expresses the
structural strength of a pavement required for
given combinations of soil support (MR), total
traffic expressed in ESALs, terminal
serviceability and environment.
 SN

The Structural Number is converted to actual layer thicknesses

(e.g., 150 mm (6 inches) of HMA) using a layer coefficient (a)
that represents the relative strength of the construction
materials in that layer.
 SN
Additionally, all layers below the surface layer are
assigned a drainage coefficient (m) that represents
the relative loss of strength in a layer due to its
drainage characteristics and the total time it is
exposed to near-saturation moisture conditions. The
drainage coefficient is often assumed to be 1,
although quick-draining layers that almost never
become saturated can have coefficients as high as
1.4 while slow-draining layers that are often
saturated can have drainage coefficients as low as
0.40.
1 ksi= 6.89 Mpa 1 psi= 0.00689 Mpa