Real-world Comparison of Common Pavement Design Softwares

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This research program aims to develop a new and fully mechanistic pavement design method that is based on finite element modeling. The design method uses the software PSIPave3D, which was developed by PSI Technologies Inc. The research compares this software to pavement design methods that are commonly used across Canada. These existing methods are largely empirically-derived, which means that their application to Canadian conditions can often be questionable. Mechanistic design considers the actual behaviours of the constituent materials and conditions of the site to provide a real prediction of the pavement structure's performance. Additionally, the research involves the development of a laboratory procedure for characterizing pavement construction materials in a way which can be implemented into PSIPave3D. Subsequently, common paving and subgrade materials will be characterized and incorporated into a materials database which will make the software more widely applicable. The selection of common pavement materials will be performed via the distribution of a survey to various practitioners throughout Canada, inquiring about their typical materials and conditions. Finally, analysis of existing sections will be performed and compared to the results of a PSIPave3D design as a verification. The result of this research will be a pavement design tool which will be applicable across Canada and will provide pavement designers with meaningful mechanistic analysis of their pavements.