Rut Depth Prediction on Flexible Pavements - Calibration and Validation of Incremental-Recursive Models

In later years the development of pavement design has gone towards more and more analytically based methods. Future design will probably be based on incremental deterioration models.

The objective is to evaluate different types of rut depth prediction models for an incremental design process.

Two different models were chosen for further studies: One model that calculates the plastic strain through the whole pavement, and one model that calculates a critical response. The models were calibrated to accelerated pavement tests.

The energy model can probably be used for normal flexible pavements. The most important model parameter has almost the same value in two different studies, which indicates that that value is probably close to the best possible value. To get a good calibration of the plastic strain model, measurements of permanent deformations of each layer should be used.