Application of Reliability Concept in Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation Decision Making (05-2202)**
Juanyu Liu, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Dan G. Zollinger, Texas A&M University
Shiraz Tayabji, Applied Research Associates, Inc.
Kurt D. Smith, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc.

ABSTRACT The application of reliability analysis during pavement design is essential to understand the effect of variability on the quality pavements that serve the traveling public in a comfortable and safe manner. As well as being durable in service, these pavements must have minimum life cycle costs (LCCs). Strategic Analysis of Pavement Evaluation and Repair (SAPER) software Version 2.0 is an analysis tool developed on the behalf of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to assist in the evaluation and selection of appropriate strategies for maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (MRR) of concrete pavements at the project level, where design reliability is incorporated through a decision making process (DMP). In this paper current practice for including reliability concepts in the SAPER software are presented which addresses the reliability approach used in the DMP, and pavement life extension prediction with respect to varied distress models and associated LCCs that incorporate reliability analysis for candidate MRR strategies. It shows that the reliability approach used in the DMP provides a simple, practical and precise way to take into account the variability of the factors that control the pavement performance. Results of typical pavement strategy selection examples with varied reliability parameters indicate that the reliability parameters play an important role, and must be considered through the MRR strategy selection. Key words: Reliability, Repair, Rehabilitation, Concrete Pavements, Strategy, DMP