Development of Pavement Performance Evaluation Subroutines for 3D-Move Analysis Software

Abstract

Predicting the pavement performance of existing and new asphalt concrete (AC) pavements is an important and significant task of pavement engineers. It is important to quantifying the factors (material properties, environmental factors and traffic loading) that lead to the pavement deterioration. Generally these distress influencing factors are correlated by mechanistic or mechanistic-empirical relationships in the design. Pavement deterioration process is complex and involves not only structural fatigue but also involves many functional distresses of pavement. 3D-Move analysis software is capable of predicting pavement responses (stresses, strains, and deflections). It is a continuum based finite layer approach that uses the Fourier transform technique; therefore it can handle complex surface loadings such as multiple loads and non-uniform tire pavement contact stresses. The graphical user interface for 3D-Move analysis software was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic.Net 2008. Performance evaluation subroutines also were coded with same programming language in order to maintain the compatibility of overall 3D-Move analysis software. 3D-Move analysis software version 2.0 has two widely used pavement prediction models: MEPDG performance model and VESYS performance model. MEPDG performance model consists of AC top down cracking, AC bottom up cracking, AC rutting, Base rutting, Sub base rutting and Subgrade rutting failure modes and VESYS performance model owes Fatigue cracking, Layer rutting, System rutting and Roughness model. Traffic information is necessary in order to quantify the damage accumulated over the design life of pavement structure. Traffic information window is available with four numbers of seasons. This extended pavement analysis option for performance analysis enables to quantify each failure mode by individual layer's summary output or all layers' summary output. The integrity of the 3D-Move analysis software strengthens by performance model option.