Development of a tool for flexible pavement design

based on the IMT- PAVE model

Fabián Alfonso Gómez T. a
a
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia, fgomeztenorio@hotmail.com

Abstract
It was created a tool that facilitates the realization of designs of flexible pavement structures
based on the IMT- PAVE 1.1 tool from the Mexican Institute of Transport (IMT). After create
the tool, sensitivity analysis was performed showing correlation between some variables
affecting the design of the studied structure, allowing contemplating which of these variables
generate greater impact on the life of a flexible pavement. This tool facilitates the design of
multiple flexible pavement structures under certain conditions of the road project and to measure
the grade of involvement when those conditions change over the lifetime of this.

Keywords: Traffic Load Spectrum, Pavement Design, Flexible Pavement, Life Span.

Desarrollo de una herramienta para diseño de

pavimento flexible basada en el modelo IMT-PAVE
Resumen
Se creó una herramienta que facilita la realización de diseños de estructuras de pavimentos
flexibles basadas en la herramienta IMT- PAVE 1.1. del Instituto Mexicano del Transporte
(IMT). Después de crear la herramienta, se realizó un análisis de sensibilidad que muestra la
correlación entre algunas variables que afectan el diseño de la estructura en estudio, lo que
permite contemplar cuál de estas variables generan un mayor impacto en la vida útil de un
pavimento flexible. Esta herramienta facilita el diseño de múltiples estructuras de pavimento
flexible en determinadas condiciones del proyecto vial y permite medir el grado afectación al
cambiar esas condiciones durante la vida útil de esta.

Palabra clave: Tránsito, Espectro de Carga, Diseño de Pavimentos, Pavimento Flexible, Vida
Útil.

1. Introduction of a pavement structure subjected to a load

applied by traffic flow. However, some of its
IMT-PAVE is a useful tool for the design of scopes are limited and its uses in other
flexible pavements, which determines the life countries than Mexico could generate not
suitable results. These are the reasons that
drive to the creation of similar new tool with
some extra capabilities, focused its use at
Colombia.
PAVINT the tool developed for the design
of flexible pavements with focus on
characteristics of Colombian transit appears as
an alternative to the IMT-PAVE 1.1 tool. This
new tool use identical mathematical models
than IMT-PAVE 1.1. that have been collected
by the IMT. [1]
One of the extras that PAVINT owns is that
you can make the analysis of various designs
iteratively, generating tables with results of
lifetime calculated for each of these designs.
This life of the pavement structure is
determined by fatigue and permanent
deformation, allowing analyzing the effect on
the structure before some change of the
external variables that influence in design.
This analysis will be call sensitization of
variables.
2. Methodology
2.1. Variables identification
To start the creation process of the tool, the
variables which together have a decisive
influence on the design of a flexible pavement
were identified. These variables would be
divided into three groups: traffic, pavement
structure and physicochemical characteristics
of their materials, and failure criteria. [2]
Within the transit are: The AADT (Average
Annual Daily Transit), the vehicular
composition, the lane correction factor, the
directional correction factor, the type of
vehicular axis and load spectrum. Within the
pavement structure and physicochemical
characteristics of their materials shall include
the number of layers of the pavement
structure, the thickness of the layers, the
resilient modulus, the Poisson's modulus and
the project horizon. [3]
On the other hand, failure criteria will be
based on empirical factors determined by
different institutions devoted to the study of
flexible pavements, these empirical factors
will make an attribution in the calculation of
admissible repetitions for the pavement design
in study. [4]
2.2. Mathematical models recompilation
After know which variables would have
more influence in the results of the lifetime of
the pavement structures, a recompilation of
mathematical models was made.
The mathematical models found were
relation in the same three groups than the
variables were. In the IMT-PAVE tool, the
transit design volume was calculated by a
statistic formula that involves the rate of
increase. However the PAVINT tool allows
introducing an historical series to the tool, to
make lineal, quadratic and logarithmic least
squares regressions. [5]
Continuing with transit models, seven load
spectrum of Colombian regions were created
(Fig. 1 example) based on the data base of the
pavements national investigation made by
INVIAS. [6]

Figure 1. Example of generated load spectrums. Atlantic coast
region load spectrum.
Source: The author.
The mathematical models in relation with
the pavement structure and physicochemical
characteristics of their materials will be
focused in the calculation of vertical and
tangential stresses and deformations. These
calculations are made with the Busmister
formulas and the Foster and Ahlvin
nomograms. [7]
With the calculated deformations, it is
proceed to calculate the admissible repetitions
with the empirical factors of the failure criteria
using the Eq. (1) and Eq. (2). The institutions
which their failure criteria were included in the
tool were Asphalt Institute, Shell, Illinois
DOT, IMT and BRRC (Belgium). [4]
𝑁𝑓 = 𝑓1 𝜀𝜏 −𝑓2 × 𝑀𝑅 −𝑓3
Eq. (1)
𝑁𝑑 = 𝑓4 𝜀𝑧 −𝑓5
Eq. (2)
The lifetime of the structure of pavement,
will be after all, the reciprocal of the division
between the calculated future repetitions
(gotten from the transit volume design) and the
admissible repetitions.
2.3. Variables sensitization
After PAVINT was created based on the
enounced variables and mathematical models,
the tool were used to run the evaluation of 216
different designs under some standard
conditions. However for these same 216
designs was change one feature at a time and
were evaluated again to make a comparison of
the results in the lifetime.
In first place the ground resistance were
changed starting from 100 MPa to 500 MPa of
resilient modulus with a 100 MPa step. After
changing the resistance of the ground, the
failure criteria were changed between the
models that were mentioned before. And
finally all the designs were proved with a
transit of an only axis type. These evaluation
results can be evaluated to compare how the
ground, the failure criteria and the vehicular
composition can affect in a design of
pavement.
2.4. Differences evaluation
When the variables sensitization was done,
a comparison between the results of IMT-
PAVE 1.1. and PAVINT were measured, by
running this evaluation changing the load
spectrum between Mexicans ones and
Colombians ones, showing the differences in
life span when using them. [8]
3. Results
3.1. Variables sensitization
 The 216 designs made, thrown a spectrum changing the failure criteria and the axis type
of life span, so after change five times the transiting on the structure. (Figure 3 & 4)
resistance of the ground it was acquired five
spectrums of fatigue live span and five for a)
permanent deformation, each one
corresponding to a specific ground resistance.
With those spectrum, two comparative (Figure
2) graphics were made, to make more visible
the results.

a)

b)

b)

Figure 3. Life span results with different failure criteria.

Source: The author.

a)
Figure 2. Life span results with different ground resistances.
Source: The author.

The same procedure was made for making

more comprehensible the results when
b)

Fatigue Life Span

20
18 b)
Life Span [Years]

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Simple Dual Tandem Tridem
Axis Type

Figure 4. Life span results with different axis type.

Source: The author.

3.2. Differences evaluation

After compare the response of the structure

of pavement when changing variables
independent of the country of study, the tool
ran the designs with the spectrums of Mexico
and Colombia. (Figure 5)

a)
Figure 5. Life span results with different load Spectrum.
Source: The author.
4. Discussion and conclusions
First, in the calculation of the design
stipulated by varying the resistance of the
grown is observed that the calculation of
service life of the structure by fatigue is not
changed, this is because that the fatigue life
span is related only to the surface layer which
is what has direct contact with traffic.
However it can be noticed that the thickness of
the surface layer do affects the life of the
structure by deformation, which is made
possible by the fact that the distance between
the load and the point of impact increases and
is received directly by subgrade with greater
resilience.
Also is known that as the thickness of the
pavement structure grows, the difference in
lifetime is greater than the resilient modulus
change soil. This results because the relation
between service life and the resilient modulus
of the ground keeps directly, like the
relationship between the thickness of the
structure and its life.
Secondly can observe differences between
failure criteria, although for calculating the life
of the structure by deforming the result of
most models is similar, however it can be
noticed a difference between these models and
Shell. Shell models are shown not much
conservative, then it has result lifetimes of the
structure significantly higher than those of
other models fatigue.
On the other hand, speaking of fatigue
models find that Shell continues to show as the
less conservative one accompanied by the
Asphalt Institute model, however we can find
in the opposite at BRRC, which is much more
conservative. The big difference between these
methods could be based on climatic and
environmental conditions in which they have
determined the empirical coefficients for each,
as the Belgian weather conditions are different
from those in the United States and the
countries of Central America. This hypothesis
is supported by the fact that the Illinois DOT
has the second most conservative model and
their traffic study department have specialized
in observing the behavior of pavements in
winter.
Finally reaction analysis of the pavement
structure based on axis type is made. It is
evident that grows as the number of tires per
axle, the lifetime of the structure fatigue
increases, indicating that the asphalt is less
affected as there is a better load distribution,
this also applies for the lifetime by
deformation of the structure, except for the
case of single directional axis, which seems to
respond positively to the thickness of the
pavement structure.
Given data on the lifetime of the structure
of both fatigue and strain, we can see that the
difference in results between the spectrum of
light overhead and high overhead of Mexico
and Colombia load spectrum varies by
approximately 20%. It is important to work as
accurately as possible, so to be able to make
designs of pavement at Colombia with their
respective load spectrum is best to use them,
but if do not have this possibility using a high
overload Mexican spectrum could be valid as a
more conservative alternative.
5. References
 14 Octubre 2013].
[P. GARNICA ANGUAS y Á. CORREA,
1] Conceptos Mecanicistas En Pavimentos [Y. H. HUANG, Pavemet Analysis and
México, Publicación Técnica No 258, 7] Design, United States of America: Pearson
México: Instituto Mexicano del Transporte Edtion Ltd., 2004.
- IMT, 2004, p. 71.
[IMT - Instituto Mexicano de Transporte,
[P. GARNICA ANGUAS y R. 8] IMT-PAVE Vesión 1.1, México: IMT,
2] HERNÁNDEZ DOMÍNGUEZ, Manual de 2013.
Usuario IMT-PAVE 1.1, Documento
Técnico No. 53, México: Instituto
Mexicano del Transporte -IMT, 2013, p.
26.

[P. GARNICA ANGUAS, J. A. GÓMEZ

3] LÓPEZ y J. A. SESMA MARTÍNEZ,
Mecánica De Materiales Para Pavimentos,
Publicación Técnica No. 197, México:
Instituto Mexicano del Transporte - IMT,
2002, p. 234.

[P. GARNICA ANGUAS y N. PEREZ

4] GARCIA, Influencia de las Condiciones de
Compactación en las Deformaciones
Permanentes de Suelos Cohesivos
Utilizados en la Construcción de
Pavimentos, Publicacion Tecnica N° 165,
México: Instituto Mexicano del Transporte
- IMT, 2001, p. 62.

[L. M. REYES CHAVEZ, «Estadística,

5] Matemática y Computación,» 5 Julio 2011.
[En línea]. Available:
http://reyesestadistica.blogspot.com/.
[Último acceso: 10 Noviembre 2014].

[INVIAS - Instituto Nacional de Vias,

6] «Documentos Tecnicos INVIAS,» Viernes,
19 Julio 2013. [En línea]. Available:
http://www.invias.gov.co/index.php/docum
entos-tecnicos-izq. [Último acceso: Lunes,