Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A UTILITY EVALUATION FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING EQUIPMENT USED ON ASPHALT CONCRETE PAVEMENTS
Abstract: Nondestructive testing of pavements has become a cost-effective and invaluable aid in determining the actual condition of pavement sections in a highway network. Because the number of nondestructive testing devices in use grows each year, the choice of the best method involves a complex comparison of alternatives involving the test equipment itself, the resulting data, and available methods of analyzing the data provided. All of these factors are considered in a systematic way by the application of utility theory. A hierarchical weighting system is developed using nonlinear utility curves. Each of the independent decision criteria is carefully defined. Weighting factors are developed using the Churchman-Ackoff technique. The analysis is performed with uncertainty obtained by using a beta probability distribution. The calculated results are expressed in terms of an expected value and a 95 percent confidence interval. Five generic nondestructive testing devices are evaluated for use on asphalt concrete pavements for both project-level design and network-level planning. The characteristics of these devices used in the calculations were deliberately revised so that none of them represent actual commercially available equipment. The generic devices are used to demonstrate the evaluation technique. The formulated utility analysis framework can be applied to real devices. Furthermore, the analysis can be extended to other situations by appropriate modification of the criteria, weights, or utility curves.
Publication Year: 1987
Publication Date: 1987-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 2
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