Performance-based design of asphalt pavements concerning the reliability analysis

Fatigue is one of the most common types of distress in asphalt pavement due to traffic loading. Pavements are steadily deteriorating from a long-term issue of cracking resulting in reduced durability and increased maintenance cost. While limit states design methods have been adopted to enhance the service life of pavements, literature demands development in performance-based design models for these infrastructures. Hence, this study proposed a new performance-based design procedure for fatigue characterization of asphalt pavements at various performance levels. To do so, a performance-based limit state function was utilized to measure the reliability level of the pavements concerning accumulative fatigue failure. Then, the severity levels of the loading scenarios were defined based on the statistical analysis of the random variable WIM (weigh-in-motion) data and the pavement resistance formulated using the rational performance levels. Accordingly, the structural reliability analysis was conducted to determine the reliability level of the existing pavement condition. Eventually, the observed reliability indices were recommended to assure the reliability concern under the given performance level subjected to considered loading scenarios.