AASHTO 1993

Flexible Pavement Design Equation

franklinbarrera@gmail.com

Date goes here

Outline
1. AASHO Road Test
2. Present Serviceability Index (PSI)
3. Equation and terms
4. Example
 AASHO Road Test

AASHO Road Test (1)

1958 - 1961

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

 AASHO Road Test

AASHO Road Test (2)

• Construction: August 1956 - September 1958
• Test Traffic: October 1958 - November 1960
• Special Studies: Spring and early summer
1961
 AASHO Road Test

Test Loops (1)

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

 AASHO Road Test

Test Loops (2)

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

 AASHO Road Test

Environment
• Mean Temperature (July) 76°F
• Mean Temperature (January)27°F
• Annual Average Rainfall 34
inches
• Average Frost Depth 28
inches
(for fine-grained soil)
 AASHO Road Test

Flexible Materials
• HMA • Subgrade
– Dense-graded
– A-6 soil (silt/clay)
– 85-100 pen asphalt
• Base Course – 82% passing No.
– Crushed limestone 200
– 10% passing No. 200 – Average CBR = 2.9
– Average CBR = 107.7 – Optimum wc =
• Subbase Course 13%
– Sand/gravel mixture
– 6.5% passing No. 200
– CBR = 28 – 51
 AASHO Road Test

Flexible Sections
• HMA
– 1 to 6 inches thick • Thickest section
– 6 inches HMA
– 9 inches base
• Base Course – 16 inches subbase
– 0 to 9 inches thick – Used for heavy loads
– 2.6 to 3.6 PSI at test end
• Thinnest section
• Subbase Course – 1 inch HMA
– 0 to 16 inches – Used for light loads
thick – 8 to 25 ESALs to failure
 AASHO Road Test

Flexible Performance
• Majority failed
• Even thickest sections sustained
appreciable damage
• Most failed during spring thaw
– Frost action was a major contributor
– Thicker base & subbase helped to
mitigate frost action
 AASHO Road Test

Rigid Materials
• Cement
– Type I
– 564 lb/yd3
• Portland Cement Concrete
– Maximum w/c = 0.47
– 14-day compressive strength = 3500 psi
– 14-day flexural strength = 550 psi (1/3 point)
– Slump = 1.5 to 2.5 inches
– Maximum aggregate size = 1.5 and 2.5 inches
• Subbase and subgrade were the same as
flexible sections
 AASHO Road Test

Rigid Sections
• Slabs
– 2.5 to 12.5 inches • Thickest section
thick – 12.5 inch slab
– 9 inches subbase
– Used for heavy loads
• Subbase Course – 4.2 to 4.5 PSI at test end
– 0 to 9 inches thick • Thinnest section
– 2.5 inch slab
– Used for light loads
• Dowel Bars
– 4.2 to 4.4 PSI at end
– All had dowel bars
– Sizes varied
 AASHO Road Test

Rigid Performance
• Majority did not fail
• Most sections PSI at the test end
was around 3.8 to 4.4
 AASHO Road Test

Trucks

Picture from: Highway Research Board

Special Report 61A-G
 Subgrade Support Variation
AASHO Road Test

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

Test Tracks Today

NCAT Test Track

Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)

Definition:
"The judgment of an observer as to
the current ability of a pavement
to serve the traffic it is meant to
serve"
 AASHO Road Test

Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

 AASHO Road Test

Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)

Picture from: Highway Research Board Special Report 61A-G

Present Serviceability Index (PSI)

• Calculated value to match PSR

(
PSI = 5.41 − 1.80 log 1 + SV − 0.9 C + P )
SV = mean of the slope variance in the two wheelpaths
(measured with the CHLOE profilometer or BPR Roughometer)
C, P = measures of cracking and patching in the pavement surface
C = total linear feet of Class 3 and Class 4 cracks per 1000 ft2 of pavement area.
A Class 3 crack is defined as opened or spalled (at the surface) to a width of
0.25 in. or more over a distance equal to at least one-half the crack length.
A Class 4 is defined as any crack which has been sealed.
P = expressed in terms of ft2 per 1000 ft2 of pavement surfacing.
 Basic Equations

Basic Idea

p0
Serviceability (PSI)

p0 - pt

pt

Time
 Basic Equations

Basic Relationship

β
W 
po − p = ( p0 − pt )  
ρ 
∀ β and ρ depend on pavement structure (thickness and
stiffness) and loading
∀ β determines the shape of the graph
∀ ρ is the number of loads at which p = 1.5
 Basic Equations

Basic Equation
 ∆PSI 
log 
log W18 = Z R × S 0 + 9.36 log( SN + 1) − 0.20 +  4.2 − 1.5  + 2.32 log( M ) − 8.07
R
1094
0.40 +
( SN + 1) 5.19

• Choose these values

– Reliability (ZR and S0)
– p0, pt ΔPSI
• Measure MR
Explanation of Terms
 ∆PSI 
log 
 4.2 − 1.5 
log W18 = Z R × S 0 + 9.36 log( SN + 1) − 0.20 + + 2.32 log( M R ) − 8.07
1094
0.40 +
( SN + 1) 5.19

W18
Base 10 logarithm of the predicted number of ESALs over
the lifetime of the pavement. The logarithm is taken based
on the original empirical equation form from the AASHO
Road Test.
Explanation of Terms
 ∆PSI 
log 
 4.2 − 1.5 
log W18 = Z R × S 0 + 9.36 log( SN + 1) − 0.20 + + 2.32 log( M R ) − 8.07
1094
0.40 +
( SN + 1) 5.19

SN
Structural number. An abstract number expressing the
structural strength of a pavement required for given
combinations of soil support (MR), total traffic (ESALs) and
allowable change in serviceability over the pavement life
(ΔPSI).
Structural Number
• Converted to a layer depth using
coefficients.
– SN = a1D1 + a2D2m2 + a3D3m3 + …
a= layer structural coefficient

D= layer depth (inches)

m= layer drainage coefficient
Structural Number
Material a-value
Surface course
HMA (asphalt concrete) 0.44
Base course
Crushed stone 0.14
Stabilized base material 0.30 – 0.40

Subbase course
Crushed stone 0.11
Drainage Coefficient (m)
Generally, quick draining layers that almost never saturate
can have drainage coefficients as high as 1.4, while slow-
draining layers that often saturate can have drainage
coefficients as low as 0.40. Most often, the drainage
coefficient is neglected (i.e. set as m = 1.0).
Structural Number
Reliability (ZR, S0)
∞
∞ 
Reliability = P [Y > X] P[Y > X ] = ∫ f x ( x )  ∫ f y ( y )dy  dx
−∞ x 
X = Probability distribution of stress Y = Probability distribution of strength
(e.g., from loading, environment, etc.) (variations in construction, material, etc.)
Probability

Stress/Strength
Reliability (ZR, S0)
Reliability ZR

99.9 -3.090
99 -2.327
95 -1.645
90 -1.282
80 -0.841
75 -0.674
70 -0.524
S0 50 0
Typical values for flexible pavement are 0.40 to 0.50. S0
cannot be calculated from actual traffic or construction
numbers so it is almost always assumed to be 0.50.
Solving the Equation
• Iterative process
– Both ESAL and structural equation
have SN

• Often solved assuming ESAL values

1993 AASHTO Structural
Design
Step-by-Step

Date goes here

Step 1: Traffic Calculation
• Total ESALs
– Buses + Trucks
– 2.13 million + 1.33 million = 3.46
million
Step 2: Get MR Value
• CBR tests along Kailua Road show:
– CBR ≈ 8

• MR conversion
AASHTO Conversion

M R = 1500( CBR ) = 1500( 8) = 12,000 psi

NCHRP 1-37A Conversion

M R = 2555( CBR ) = 2555( 8)

0.64 0.64
= 9,669 psi
Step 3: Choose Reliability
• Arterial Road
– AASHTO Recommendations
Functional Recommended Reliability
Classification WSDOT
Urban Rural 95
85
Interstate/freeways 85 – 99.9 85 – 99.9
75
Principal arterials 80 – 99 75 – 95
75
Collectors 80 – 95 75 – 95
Local 50 – 80 50 – 80
Choose 85%
Step 3: Choose Reliability
Reliability ZR Choose S0 = 0.50
99.9 -3.090

99 -2.327

95 -1.645

90 -1.282

85 -1.037

80 -0.841

75 -0.674
Step 4: Choose ΔPSI
• Somewhat arbitrary
– Typical p0 = 4.5
– Typical pt = 1.5 to 3.0
– Typical ΔPSI = 3.0 down to 1.5
Step 5: Calculate Design
• Decide on basic structure
Resilient Modulus (psi)
Layer a Typical Chosen
HMA 0.44 500,000 at 70°F 500,000
ACB 0.44 500,000 at 70°F 500,000
UTB 0.13 20,000 to 30,000 25,000
Aggregate 0.13 20,000 to 30,000 25,000

• Note: AASHTO doesn’t differentiate between

types of HMA and base but many agencies do
– Differentiation may not based on any testing
Step 5: Calculate Design
• Solve equation for 2 layers
– HMA and ACB is one layer
– UTB and aggregate is the other

• Solve for each layer using the MR of

the layer directly underneath

• Divide up HMA and ACB

• Divide up UTB and aggregate
Step 5: Calculate Design
• Preliminary Results
– Total Required SN = 3.995
– HMA/ACB
• Required SN = 2.74
• Required depth = 6.5 inches
– UTB and aggregate
• Required SN = 1.13
• Required depth = 9 inches
Step 5: Calculate Design
• Apply HDOT rules and common sense
– HMA/ACB
• Required depth = 6.5 inches
• 2.5 inches Mix IV (½ inch Superpave)
• 4 inches ACB (¾ inch Superpave)
– UTB and aggregate
• Required depth = 9 inches
• Minimum depths = 6 inches each
– 6 inches UTB
– 6 inches aggregate subbase
Comparison

Layer California AASHTO

HMA Surface 2.5 inches 2.5 inches
ACB 7.0 inches 4.0 inches
UTB 6.0 inches 6.0 inches
Aggregate 6.0 inches 6.0 inches
subbase