Developing a Network-Level Structural Capacity Index for Composite Pavements

Abstract

The structural capacity of a pavement has been shown to be an excellent indicator of the required maintenance and expected performance of asphalt pavements, but studies reported in the literature have produced few indices for composite pavement systems. This paper presents a relationship to predict the future functional performance (i.e., the behavior of the surface condition over time) of composite pavements as a function of its structural condition measured using the falling weight deflectometer (FWD). Network-level deflection data were collected using the FWD between the years 2005 and 2007 on approximately 3,700 directional km (2,300 directional miles) of interstate pavements in Virginia. The network of pavements included asphalt, jointed concrete, and composite (asphalt surface over jointed concrete) pavements. The FWD data were then compared with the performance of several pavement segments that received maintenance treatment just before deflection testing. It was found that the measurements obtained using the FWD correlated strongly with the performance of the composite pavements.