Highway Engineering

Assist. Prof. Dr. Anmar Falih Diekan

Department of Civil Engineering / College of Engineering
University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa
2021-2022

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 1
The objectives of pavement design can be listed as follow:
1. Maximum economy, safety, and serviceability over the design period
2. Maximum or adequate load-carrying capacity in terms of load magnitude and repetitions
3. Minimum or limited deteriorations over the design period
4. Minimum or limited noise or air pollution during construction
5. Minimum or limited disruption of adjoining land use
6. Maximum or good aesthetics

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 2
The pavement designer typically faces several economic, physical, and technical design constraints
such as:
1. Availability of time and fund for design and construction
2. Minimum allowable level of serviceability before rehabilitation
3. Availability of materials
4. Minimum and maximum layer thickness
5. Capabilities of construction and maintenance personnel and equipment
6. Testing capabilities
7. Capabilities of structural and economic models available
8. Quality and extent of the design data available

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 3
Design Approaches
Many methods of designing flexible pavement have been developed by various transportation
agencies and evolved throughout the years. These methods range from very simple in concept to
highly sophisticate. Although different agencies have been using design procedures that satisfy their
local conditions, pavement design methods can be grouped into four distinct approaches:
1. Methods Based on Experience
Many agencies have been adopting standard pavement sections for different ranges of traffic levels and
environmental conditions. These standard sections are mostly based on previous experience and are
applicable to local materials and budget practice. Although these methods are old, they are still being
used by relatively small agencies because of:
Their simplicity, low design cost, and reliability under certain conditions.

These methods, however,

• do not allow for comparison between alternatives.
• they also do not recognize the varying serviceability with age.
• these methods also assume average material properties, traffic levels, and environmental conditions. If
any of these variables change, this approach looses its validity.
Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 4
2. Methods Based on Soil Formula or Simple Strength Tests
These methods are based on empirical correlations between the required pavement thickness and
soil classification or simple strength tests of subgrade materials such as California Bearing Ratio
(CBR).
This approach is also old and assumes that traffic load is mostly
carried by subgrade, whereas pavement layers are mainly used for
smoothness and dust control.

Similar to the previous approach,

• these methods are simple,
• have low design cost, and
• could be reliable under certain conditions.

The disadvantages are,

• these methods do not recognize the varying serviceability with age.
• These methods also assume average pavement material properties,
traffic levels, and environmental conditions

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 5
3. Methods Based on Statistical Evaluation of Pavement Performance
These methods are based on extensive field observation of pavement
performance under different conditions and developing empirical relations
between pavement thickness and material properties, traffic, and
environmental conditions.
Once these empirical relations are defined, the designer can input various
input parameters and determine the required thicknesses of different layer. A
typical example of this approach is the 1993 AASHTO (American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials) design method.

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 6
The main advantage of this approach over previous approaches is that
• the method considers the change of serviceability with pavement age.
Thus, the designer can design a pavement section to last for a certain
designed life with a predetermined serviceability level.
• This approach also considers in-service conditions and is not based of
simple theoretical assumptions.
• It also allows for economic comparison between design alternatives.

This approach, however, still suffers from

• the dependency on empirical relations that are limited to the
conditions under which they were developed.
• If changes occur in any input parameters such as increasing axle loads
and tyre pressure or if a new pavement material is used such as
modified asphalt binders, the method would not be valid.

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 7
4. Methods Based on Structural Analysis of Layered Systems
This approach is more fundamental than all other approaches since it considers basic material
responses such stresses, strains, and deformations. In such cases, the traffic load is applied on a
simulated multilayered-pavement system and the critical material responses are calculated.
These critical response parameters are then correlated to performance using transfer functions,
typically based on empirical relations. The designer, therefore, has the capability to determine the
required layer thicknesses so that the pavement would last for the required designed life without
exceeding predetermined distress levels.

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 8
This approach represents a major improvement over others due to its
• accuracy
• reliability
However, this approach requires extensive testing and computations.
Methods based on this approach also incorporate empirical correlations,
although the degree of empiricism is small. In addition, theoretical models
require extensive calibration and verification since the incorporated
assumptions may not exactly match field conditions.
The proposed AASHTO mechanistic-empirical pavement design method
(NCHRP, 2003) follows the last approach.
Future approaches are expected to be more rational with less, or even no,
dependency on empirical relations.

Unternehmenspräsentation
26.03.2022 Lecture 1: Design of highway pavement 9
Contact details:
Assist. Prof. Dr. Anmar Dulaimi
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA ), UK
E-mail: [email protected]

26/03/2022 19:21 10
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