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Journal of New Applied and Computational Findings in Mechanical Systems

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Mansour Tohidi Navid Khayat

Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz
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 Journal of New Applied and Computational Spring 2022 |Vol .2| Issue.1 │ 16
Findings in Mechanical Systems

Pavement Design Cost Optimization using PSO versus Shell Pavement Design

Mansour Tohidi1, Navid Khayat 1*, Abdoulrasoul Telvari 1

1
Department of Civil Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

*Corresponding Author Email: Khayat@iauahvaz.ac.ir

Abstract
Road construction is heavily dependent on pavement costs. Therefore, engineers have paid great attention to
pavement design optimization to minimize costs. Optimal pavement designs can be found using search algorithms. In
this study, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the AASHTO pavement design and minimize costs
compared with the Shell pavement design. To achieve this goal, a simulation-optimization model was
developed. PSO-optimized and Shell pavement designs were then compared under three combinations of materials
with different elasticity moduli. According to the results, PSO reduced costs by 0.5-14% and 2.9-20.6% under
the constrained and unconstrained. Moreover, PSO-optimized design with cement-stabilized bases was 17.4-30.6%
less expensive than Shell pavement design.

Keywords: Asphalt pavement, Optimal pavement design, (IHAP) design method, Shell pavement design

1. Introduction
Calculating pavement design thickness manually is time-consuming and inefficient. For this reason, offices try to
develop the best asphalt pavement design solutions. In a short time, optimization algorithms can evaluate a large
number of pavement thickness designs and find the most affordable and optimal pavement design. These algorithms
have several advantages, including saving money and materials for future road construction.
Metaheuristic algorithms have been used to optimize pavement design in several studies [1-5]. In this research,
PSO, a proven algorithm in several previous studies, was used to optimize pavement thicknesses, minimizing
pavement design costs. In addition, the Shell pavement design is widely used due to its ability to incorporate
temperature and different asphalt mixtures. This study aimed to apply PSO to determine the most inexpensive
AASHTO pavement design and compare it with the Shell pavement design. Moreover, an automated pavement
design methodology is proposed as a substitute for manual pavement design.

2. Materials and methods (IHAP and Shell pavement designs)

2.1. Simulation-optimization based on IHAP pavement design using PSO
Kenedy and Eberhart proposed the PSO algorithm as a population-based optimization strategy based on the social
behavior of fish and birds in search [6]. PSO has been widely used in literature because of its simplicity,
affordability, efficiency, and effectiveness.

2.2. Shell pavement design

Shell Company introduced the Shell pavement design, which uses a linear elasticity theory and material properties
to calculate pavement course thicknesses [7]. Asphalt mixtures and temperature are incorporated into this design.
Using the "temperature" factor, road pavements can be designed according to climatic parameters, while the "various
asphalt mixtures" factor simplifies the use of local materials, allowing for the design to be based on the selected
asphalt mixture.

2.3. Case study project

As shown in Table 1, this study examined three combinations by different elasticity moduli.

3. Results and discussion

According to Table 1, asphalt strength and elasticity modulus decreased from Combination 1 to 3, while the
opposite occurred for base and subbase layers. Based on Table 2, a change in the elasticity modulus of the Shell
 Journal of New Applied and Computational Spring 2022 |Vol .2| Issue.1 │ 17
Findings in Mechanical Systems

pavement design increased the cost of the pavement design. Using a PSO-optimized pavement design, on the other
hand, reduced not only the thickness of the asphalt course but also the cost.

Table 1. Properties of pavement courses.

Elasticity Modulus Drainage Layer Coefficient
Comb. Course CBR
(kg/cm2) Coefficient (m) (a)
Asphalt 31500 - 0.44 -
1 Base 1690 1.1 0.13 80
Subbase 1052 0.9 0.11 30
Asphalt 28000 - 0.42 -
2 Base 2100 1.15 0.14 85
Subbase 1100 0.95 0.12 35
Asphalt 24500 - 0.40 -
3 Base 2450 1.2 0.15 95
Subbase 1400 1 0.13 50

Table 2. PSO-optimized and Shell pavement designs.

Thickness (cm) Cost
Comb. Pavement Cement Granular
Asphalt Subbase (USD)
Base Base
Shell pavement design 21 - 23 27 54.17
Constrained PSO pavement 19 - 23 27 53.88
1
Unconstrained PSO with a granular base 13 - 40 35 52.06
Unconstrained PSO with a cement base 10 29 15 10 44.74
Shell pavement design 25 - 19 31 60.76
Constrained PSO pavement 19 - 19 31 53.71
2
Unconstrained PSO with a granular base 13 - 39 32 50.58
Unconstrained PSO with a cement base 10 28 15 10 44.19
Shell pavement design 26 - 21 29 62.53
Constrained PSO pavement 19 - 21 29 53.79
3
Unconstrained PSO with a granular base 11 - 40 36 49.83
Unconstrained PSO with a cement base 10 27 15 10 43.64

Table 3 compares the constrained and unconstrained PSO-optimized pavement designs and Shell pavement
designs regarding cost reduction.

Table 3. Cost reduction in the constrained and unconstrained PSO-optimized pavement designs.
Comb. 1 Comb. 2 Comb. 3
Pavement
Cost Reduction (%)
Constrained PSO 0.5% 11.6% 14%
Unconstrained PSO 2.9% 16.8% 20.6%
Unconstrained PSO with a cement base 17.4% 27.3% 30.2%

4. Conclusion
This study optimized the AASHTO pavement design using PSO and compared it with the Shell pavement design
in terms of cost minimization. The following is the summary of the paper:
(1) Pavement design costs were affected by changes in asphalt, base, and subbase elasticity modulus. Reduced
asphalt elasticity modulus and increased base and subbase elasticity modulus raised the thickness and,
therefore, the cost.
(2) The constrained and unconstrained PSO-optimized pavement designs were found to have lower costs than
the Shell pavement design. Hence, PSO-optimized pavements would outperform the Shell pavement design.
(3) All three combinations were reduced in cost by using a cement-stabilized base.
(4) PSO-optimized pavements have a lower asphalt thickness and, therefore, a lower cost than Shell pavements.
 Journal of New Applied and Computational Spring 2022 |Vol .2| Issue.1 │ 18
Findings in Mechanical Systems

(5) Combination 3 had the lowest cost when PSO optimization was used. Accordingly, a stronger and more
elastic subbase and base courses will likely reduce costs.

5. References
[1] Pryke, A., Evdorides, H., Ermaileh, R. A. (2006). “Optimization of pavement design using a genetic algorithm.”
2006 IEEE International Conference on Evolutionary Computation, IEEE, Vancouver, BC, Canada, pp. 1095–
1098.
[2] Li, S. T., Zhang, B., Xu, S. J., Zhong, Y. H. (2019). Back-analysis of Pavement Thickness Based on PSO-GA
Hybrid Algorithms. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 252(5).
[3] Inti, S., Anjan Kumar, S. (2021). Sustainable road design through multi-objective optimization: A case study in
Northeast India. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 91, 102594.
[4] Ahmed, K., Al-Khateeb, B., Mahmood, M. (2019). Application of chaos discrete particle swarm optimization
algorithm on pavement maintenance scheduling problem. Cluster Computing, 22, pp. 4647–4657.
[5] Abdi, A., Badiany, M., salehfard, R. (2018). A Comparison of AASHTO and SHELL Methods in Flexible
Pavement Design Using ABAQUS Software. Journal of Transportation Research, 15(4), pp. 375-389.
[6] Sabzkouhi,A.M., Haghighi,A., (2016), Uncertainty Analysis of Pipe-Network Hydraulics Using a Many-Objectiv
Particle Swarm Optimization, j. Hydraul.Eng., 142, 04016030.
[7] Shell International Petroleum Company Limited (1978), Shell Pavement Design Manual, London.

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