Decision Framework to Determine the Maintenance Strategy Based on Both Structural and Functional Conditions of Asphalt Pavements

Abstract

A decision model is one of the most important components in pavement management systems (PMS) to determine appropriate maintenance strategies, ensuring desirable conditions of in-service pavements within the given time and budget. However, most decision models focus solely on either functional or structural conditions, despite the importance of considering both concurrently. This study developed a decision framework for determining a more appropriate maintenance strategy for asphalt pavements based on both structural and functional conditions. Three types of structural indicators, calculated from the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) deflections, were used for evaluating pavement structural capacity, while the international roughness index (IRI) measurement was used to assess functional conditions. The selected structural indicators, the structural number ratio, deflection basin parameters, and critical strains, allowed for the assessment of specific pavement layer structural conditions. This leads to the application of a stepwise approach to the decision framework, providing a more accurate maintenance strategy. In addition, user-friendly software was developed to analyze raw FWD and IRI data for a more practical implementation of the proposed decision framework. Since the developed decision framework employs common nondestructive test data, FWD deflection and IRI data, routinely collected by most agencies, it can be easily incorporated into current PMS practices. Furthermore, the use of common nondestructive test data is beneficial for local calibration of thresholds using historical PMS data, allowing the proposed decision framework to be easily implemented in various states or countries.