Title: Pavement Performance Evaluation and Prediction Based on Extension Theory
Abstract: Pavement performance evaluation and prediction are of great importance to facilitate pavement management system. However, due to the multi-attribute properties of a pavement, no analytical solution can be employed to elucidate these intricate relationships. In a pavement management system of a state highway agency, engineers constantly struggle in the decision process to make a comprehensive pavement performance evaluation and prediction according to one or more indicators. This paper presents a novel pavement performance evaluation methodology using Extension Theory. The Extension Theory concept was first introduced in 1980?s to solve contradictions and incompatibility problems. This new methodology provides a unique approach to handling the potential interrelations among the pavement performance criteria, and at the same time, to reveal quantitative interactions among the criteria. Three pavement types, flexible pavement, Joint Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP) and Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP), are studied in this research with the Extension Theory. The performance criteria used in Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) to evaluate existing pavements are partially adopted in the new method and the corresponding data are obtained from LTPP database. With the designed procedures of Extension Theory based pavement performance evaluation process, case studies are carried out and the Extension Theory based comprehensive performance indexes are generated, and Extension Theory based prediction models are developed. Rather than relying on the discretion and judgment of staff involved in traditional pavement prioritization, the Extension Theory based approach can trace the quantitative deteriorations of the overall pavement performances. Results of the studied cases show that the proposed method is suitable as a practical pavement evaluation and prediction tool.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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