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Publication Number:  FHWA-HRT-12-030    Date:  August 2012
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-12-030
Date: August 2012

 

Estimation of Key PCC, Base, Subbase, and Pavement Engineering Properties From Routine Tests and Physical Characteristics

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FOREWORD

Material characterization is a basic aspect of pavement engineering and is critical for analysis, performance prediction, design, construction, quality control/quality assurance, pavement management, and rehabilitation. Advanced tools like the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide, Interim Edition: A Manual of Practice (MEPDG) can be used to estimate the influence of several fundamental engineering material parameters on the long-term performance of a pavement.(1) Consequently, there is a need for more information about material properties, which are addressed only to a limited extent with currently available resources for performing laboratory and field testing. Reliable correlations between material parameters and index properties offer a cost-effective alternative, and the derived material property values are equivalent to the level 2 inputs in the MEPDG. This study initially verified the adequacy of the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) data and also made a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of developing the correlation models. In the next phase of the study, prediction models were developed to help practicing engineers estimate proper MEPDG inputs. This report describes the basis for selecting material parameters that need predictive models, provides a review of current LTPP program data, and proposes several statistically derived models to predict material properties. The models developed under this effort have been incorporated into a simple software program compatible with current versions of Microsoft Windows® operating system.

Jorge E. Pagán-Ortiz Director, Office of Infrastructure Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. FHWA uses standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. It also periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

 

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HRT-12-030

2. Government Accession No. 3 Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle

Estimation of Key PCC, Base, Subbase, and Pavement Engineering Properties from Routine Tests and Physical Characteristics

5. Report Date

August 2012

6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s)

C. Rao, L. Titus-Glover, B. Bhattacharya, M.I. Darter, M. Stanley, and H. L. Von Quintus

8. Performing Organization Report No.

 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Applied Research Associates, Inc. Trade Centre Drive, Suite 200 Champaign, IL 61820

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-02-C-00138

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Office of Infrastructure Research and Development Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22-22

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Interim Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

 

15. Supplementary Notes

The Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) was Larry Wiser, HRDI LTPP data analysis contract.

16. Abstract

Material characterization is a critical component of modern day pavement analysis, design, construction, quality control/quality assurance, management, and rehabilitation. At each stage during the life of a project, the influence of several fundamental engineering material parameters on the long-term performance of the pavement can be predicted using advanced tools like the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide, Interim Edition: A Manual of Practice (MEPDG). Consequently, there is a need for more information about material properties, which are addressed only to a limited extent with currently available resources for performing laboratory and field testing. Reliable correlations between material parameters and index properties offer a cost-effective alternative and are equivalent to the level 2 MEPDG inputs. The Long-Term Pavement Performance database provides data suitable for developing predictive models for Portland cement concrete (PCC) materials, stabilized materials, and unbound materials, as well as other design-related inputs for the MEPDG. This report describes the procedure for developing the following models:

  • PCC materials: Compressive strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, tensile strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion.
  • Stabilized materials: Elastic modulus of lean concrete base.
  • Unbound materials: Resilient modulus of fine-grained and coarse-grained materials.
  • Rigid pavement design features: Pavement curl/wrap effective temperature difference for jointed plain concrete pavement and continuously reinforced concrete pavement designs.
17. Key Words

Pavements, LTPP, Material properties, MEPDG, Prediction model, Index properties

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

19. Security Classification (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classification (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

214

22. Price
Form DOT F 1700.7 Reproduction of completed page authorized

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2. MATERIAL PROPERTIES FOR PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS

CHAPTER 3. LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 4. DATA ASSEMBLY AND MODELING CONSIDERATIONS

CHAPTER 5. MODEL DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 6. SUMMARY AND FUTURE WORK

REFERENCES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

 AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
 AC Asphalt concrete
 ACI American Concrete Institute
 ANOVA Analysis of variance
 CBR California bearing ratio
 CEB-FIP Committee Euro-International du Beton
 CMC Cementitious materials content
 CRCP Continuously reinforced concrete pavement
 CTE Coefficient of thermal expansion
 DCP Dynamic cone penetrometer
 EI Erodibility Index
 EICM Enhanced integrated climatic model
 FEA Finite element analysis
 FHWA Federal Highway Administration
 FM Fineness modulus
 FWD Falling weight deflectometer
 GLM Generalized linear model
 GPS General Pavement Studies
 HMA Hot mix asphalt
 HRIS Highway Research Information Service
 IRI International Roughness Index
 ITZ Interfacial zone
 JPCP Jointed plain concrete pavement
 JRCP Jointed reinforced concrete pavement
 LCB Lean concrete base
 LEA Layered elastic analysis
 LTPP Long-term pavement performance
 MAS Maximum aggregate size
 M-E Mechanistic-empirical
 MEPDG Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
 MPT Maximum paste thickness
 MR Modulus of rupture
 NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program
 PCA Portland Cement Association
 PCC Portland cement concrete
 PRS Performance-related specification
 QA Quality assurance
 QC Quality control
 RMSE Root mean square error
 SEE Standard error of estimate
 SCM Supplemental cementitious material
 SHA State highway agency
 SHRP Strategic Highway Research Program
 SPS Specific Pavement Studies
 TFHRC Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
 UCS Unified Classification System
 VIF Variance inflation factor

 

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