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NCHRP 01-40B [Completed]
User Manual and Local Calibration Guide for the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide and Software
| Project Data |
| Funds: |
$324,995.97 |
| Research Agency: |
Applied Research Associates, Inc. |
| Principal Investigator: |
Mr. Harold L. Von Quintus |
| Effective Date: |
1/28/2005 |
| Completion Date: |
2/28/2009 |
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At the request of the AASHTO Joint Task Force on Pavements (JTFP), NCHRP initiated Project 1-37A in 1996 to develop a guide for design of new and rehabilitated pavement structures. In contrast to the current (1993) AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, the guide recommended by the Project 1-37A research team in 2004 is based on mechanistic-empirical (M-E) principles; provides a uniform basis for the design of flexible, rigid, and composite pavements; and employs common design parameters for traffic, subgrade, environment, and reliability.
The distress prediction models in the recommended M-E Pavement Design Guide have been calibrated to national averages based on data gathered by the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program. It is widely recognized--and specifically pointed out by the NCHRP 1-37A project team--that, for the distress models to be fully applicable for the particular materials, construction practices, and environmental conditions in a given state or geographic region, they should be calibrated with data obtained locally. At present, there is no single document that provides agencies with guidance to perform such local calibration.
The objectives of this project were to prepare (1) a Manual of Practice for the Mechanistic-Empirical Design Pavement Guide (MEPDG) and Software and (2) a Local Calibration Guide for highway agencies to the local or regional calibration of the distress models in the MEPDG and software.
Product Availability: The manual of practice and local calibration guide were transferred to the AASHTO Joint Technical Committee on Pavements for review and future action.
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