Mechanistic-Empirical Design of Bituminous Roads: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

The current practice in India for thickness design of roads with bituminous surfacing is based on limited experience of road performance in the late 1970s. Extrapolation of the design method to the present day heavy traffic is not valid because of the empiricism in the original method. This paper describes the details of an investigation undertaken by the writers to develop a mechanistic design method by correlating the performance data of bituminous pavements from different parts of India to the critical stress-strain parameters of the pavement composition leading to the failure of pavements. Also indicated are the evaluation of fatigue and elastic properties of pavement materials, analysis of field performance data, determination of fatigue and rutting criteria from laboratory and field data, and development of thickness design charts for bituminous pavements.