AASHTO FLEXIBLE DESIGN METHOD

One of the major objectives of the AASHTO road test was to provide
information that could be used to develop design criteria and design procedures.
The current issue of AASHTO was issued on 1986 AASHTO Guide for Design
Pavement Structures.

This current version incorporates the various design inputs:

traffic
reliability

subgrade soil property

environmental effects

performance criteria into the design equation and the design chart

as shown in Figure 16-11 to determine:

structural number

combined structural capacity of the pavement

required for the pavement
combination of the layer thickness
property of the materials

TRAFFIC
The total load applications due to all mixed traffic within
the design period are converted to the 18-kip ESAL, W18, using
the axle load equivalency factors for each axle group provided
in Guide.
18 = + + 18
= directional distribution factor
although it is generally 0.5, it has shown
that it may
vary from 0.3 to 0.7 depending on which direction is
loaded and unloaded
= lane distribution factor
No. of lanes in
Each direction
1
2
3
4

Percent 18-kip ESAL

In design lane
100
80-100
60-80
50-75

18=the cumulative 2 directional 18-kip ESAL

RELIABILITY
Reliability design factor provides a predetermined
level of assurance (R) that pavement section will survive
the period for which they are designed. For a given
reliability level, reliability factor is a function of the overall
standard deviation (So). The standard deviations of 0.45
and 0.35 respectively are suggested by the Guide for
flexible and rigid pavements.
log 10 FR Z R S o

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
The long term effects of temperature, moisture, and
material aging on pavement performance could not
be directly accounted for the road test data.

Also, if the effects of swell clay and frost heave

of a subgrade soil on the performance of the
pavement in a specific region are significant, the
loss of serviceability over the design period should
be estimated and added to that due to traffic loads.

SERVICEABILITY
Initial serviceability ( ) and terminal serviceability ( )
indexes must be established to compute the change in
serviceability (PSI) in Figure 16-11. Typical values
from AASHTO road test were:
= 4.2 (flexible) and 4.5 (rigid)
= 2.5 for major highway
= 2.0 for other pavements
PSI=
The change in serviceability (PSI) should also
include the loss of serviceability during the design period
due to potential subgrade swelling and frost heave.

EFFECTIVE ROADBED SOIL RESILIENT

MODULUS

An effective resilient modulus is then established

that is equivalent to the combined effect of the
subgrade resilient modulus of all seasonal resilient
moduli. Figure 16-12 is a work sheet given in the
Guide for estimating effective roadbed resilient
modulus. A year is divided into 24 periods, and the
resilient modulus of the roadbed soil in each period
is determined and entered in second column in the
figure.

16-12

= 1.81 108 2.32

DETERMINATION OF REQUIRED STRUCTURAL

NUMBER
The nomograph is constructed from equation in Fig.
16-11:
the inputs are:
W18 estimated future traffic
R reliability
So overall standard deviation
Mr effective resilient modulus
PSI design serviceability loss

SELECTION OF PAVEMENT THICKNESS

DESIGNS
It is necessary to determine the thickness of
the various layers in a flexible pavement that will
provide the required load carrying capacity that
corresponds to design number.

SN = a1D1+ a2D2m2+ a3D3m3

ai = layer coefficient of layer i
Di = thickness of layer i (in)
mi = drainage modifying factor for layer i

Layer coefficients (ai) is a measure of relative

effectiveness of a given material to function as a
structural component of the pavement. The layer
coefficients of materials are below
Asphalt concrete surface course. Fig. 16-13
presents a chart that can be used to determine the
layer coefficient of a dense graded asphalt concrete
surface course based on its elastic modulus at
68oF.
Bituminous treated bases. Fig.16-14 presents a
chart that can be used to estimate the layer
coefficient of a bituminous treated based on its
elastic modulus or its Marshall stability value.

ASPHALT CONCRETE SURFACE (1 )

16-13

BITUMINOUS
TREATED
BASE (2 )

16-14

Granular base and subbase layers. Fig. 16-15 and

Fig.16-16 can be used to estimate the layer coefficient
of a granular base material and granular subbase
material based on different laboratory test results of the
material.
Cement treated bases. Fig.16-17 presents a chart that
can be used to estimate the layer coefficient of a cement
treated base from its unconfined compressive strength
or elastic modulus.
Drainage modifying factor (mi) Table 16-15 presents
the drainage coefficients for untreated base and
subbase materiaals. The coefficient depend on the
quality of drainage and percentage of time the pavement
structure is saturated. The quality of drainage is
measured the length of time it takes for water to be
removed from base or subbase.

GRANULAR
BASE (2 )
16-15

GRANULAR
SUBBASE (3 )
16-16

3 = 0.2777 10 (2 ) 0.839

CEMENT
TREATED BASE

(2 )

16-17

If Fair and
30% exposure,
then mi is 0.80.

16-18

GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION OF

LAYER THICKNESS.
1.

Using E2 as Mr and Fig. 16-11, determine the structural

SN1 required to protect the base and compute the
thickness of layer 1 (D1)
D1 SN1/a1
D1 5/0.44 = 11.3636 in

Using E2 as Mr and Fig.16-11, determine the

structural number SN2 required to protect the subbase and
compute the thickness of layer 2 (D2)
(2 1 1 )
D2
2.

2 2

3.
Using the roadbed resilient modulus and Fig 16-11
determine the structural number SN3 required to protect
the roadbed soil and compute the thickness of layer 3 (D3)
(3 3 3 )
D3
3 3