Development of the pavement structural health index based on falling weight deflectometer testing
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2-2018
Abstract
Non-structural parameters such as surface distresses and ride quality have commonly been used as functional indicators in the treatment selection process. However, transportation agencies have considered in recent years implementing structural capacity indicators into their pavement management system (PMS) and decision-making processes. The objective of this study was to develop a structural condition index for Louisiana, known as the Structural Health Index (SHI), on a scale from 0 to 100 that describes the structural integrity of the pavement structure based on the backcalculated layer moduli of in-service pavements as predicted from FWD testing. Based on the developed methodology, the SHI is estimated by first backcalculating the layer moduli using a backcalculation software. Then, a sigmodal function is used to calculate the SHI. Evaluation and validation of the SHI was successful and demonstrated that the new index responded realistically to sections in poor and in good structural conditions. Furthermore, it was shown that the new index provided additional information that complements existing functional indices in PMS by successfully identifying structurally deficient sections. The implementation of the SHI into the LADOTD decision matrix is demonstrated.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
International Journal of Pavement Engineering
First Page
1
Last Page
8
Recommended Citation
Elbagalati, O., Elseifi, M., Gaspard, K., & Zhang, Z. (2018). Development of the pavement structural health index based on falling weight deflectometer testing. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 19 (1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2016.1149838