Review Of Flexible Pavement Designs Using The Mechanistic Empirical Method Of AASHTO 2004

Abstract

The research determines the resistant capacity of the flexible pavement structure in the conditions of Portoviejo in the province of Manabí, Ecuador. Different levels of design traffic were considered, as well as the climatic conditions and materials characteristic of the area. The module of the asphalt folder in the design was estimated from the temperature of the asphalt mixture, considering the characteristic ambient temperature of the region. Flexible pavement thicknesses were calculated using the AASHTO 93 Standard and the AASHTO 2004 Mechanistic Empirical Design Guide, reviewing in both cases, the behavior of the pavement during the design period, through empirical models of fatigue cracking and permanent deformation. The results show that the structures designed by both procedures, with a level of reliability of 90%, meet the behavioral criteria, both for cracking and permanent deformation. However, they show an appreciable difference in thicknesses, being significantly lower in the structures calculated using the AASHTO 2004 procedure compared to those designed applying the AASHTO 93 Standard.