Applying the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide under the Egyptian Conditions.

Elshabrawy, M.; Ibrahim, M. H. Z.; Elbagalati, O.

doi:10.21608/bfemu.2020.122002

Applying the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide under the Egyptian Conditions.

Document Type : Research Studies

Authors

¹ Professor of Public Work Engineering Department., Faculty of Engineering., El-Mansoura University., Mansoura., Egypt.

² Associate Professor., Public Work Engineering Department., Faculty of Engineering., El-Mansoura University., Mansoura., Egypt.

³ Public Work Engineering Department., Faculty of Engineering., El-Mansoura University., Mansoura., Egypt.

10.21608/bfemu.2020.122002

Abstract

Pavement structural design is a complicated task; traffic loads, characterizations of pavement materials and climatic conditions all are factors must be taken into consideration during the design process and it is important to understand how each factor affects the overall performance of the pavement structural design. For many years, extensive research has been performed on the refinement and development of pavement structural design procedures such as, (Empirical Methods, Limiting Deflection Failure Methods, Stone Matrix Asphalt and AASHTO 1993). All mentioned methods does not take into consideration the pavement performance or it does not take all important factors which affect the pavement performance like ( Traffic loads, Climatic conditions and Material characterizations ) [1], But now the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) which was created by the AASHTO organization in 2002 can be used. This design method allows engineers to design pavement structural layers to sustain predefined limits of distress levels due to traffic loads and environmental conditions based on mechanistic empirical locally or nationally calibrated performance models. The user is required to input variables related to traffic, environment, HMA, base/sub-base and sub grade characteristics. This paper is focused upon the ability of using the MEPDG under the Egyptian conditions and the modifications needed to use it in Egypt comparing it with other used methods in Egypt and it was found that it is possible to use the MEPDG in Egypt and replace the American climatic data by the Egyptian one also the distresses on the chosen Egyptian roads were predicted

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