Distress Model for Nigerian Empirical Mechanistic Pavement Analysis and Design System

Abstract

Nigerian Empirical Mechanistic Pavement Analysis and Design System (NEMPADS), a Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Analysis and Design procedure for Nigeria has been proposed. This work was aimed at providing most appropriate Pavement Performance distress model for the prediction of pavement fatigue and rutting life in the NEMPADS. Empirical-Mechanistic simulation analysis based on some reliability levels in comparison with existing ones was carried out. Nine fatigue distress models and seven rutting distress models were evaluated for Nigerian environment. Monte Carlo simulation cycles was set at 2, 200 threshold to provide sufficient repeatability for a damage reliability relationship. The results from the parametric study demonstrated that both the Transport and Road Research Laboratory and Indian distress models for fatigue and rutting respectively show the most promising in terms of development and quick prediction for pavement reliability with the Nigerian Empirical Mechanistic Pavement Analysis and Design System.