Research on Relationships among Different Distress Types of Asphalt Pavements with Semi-Rigid Bases in China Using Association Rule Mining: A Statistical Point of View

Distress types are significant for asphalt pavement maintenance decision, and relationships among them can greatly influence the decision outcomes. In this study, to analyze the relationships among different distress types from a statistical point of view, 282 asphalt pavements with semirigid base structures in 23 regions of China were surveyed to identify 12 distress types, which were subsequently investigated by association rule mining. Results show that the distress types can be categorized into independent distress types (IDDTs), dependent distress types (DDTs), and rutting secondary distress types (RSDTs) based on the relationships. The relationships among IDDTs are the strongest, and those between IDDTs and DDTs, between rutting and RSDTs, and among depression, pumping, and raveling are also strong, while the others are weak. The weak relationships should be ignored, while the strong ones should be considered to reduce cost and guarantee accuracy of maintenance decision. The IDDTs are the most important distress types, so preventing them from occurring or maintaining them immediately can greatly preserve good performance of asphalt pavements. To help analyze the relationships, a distress-type system was established and verified. In conclusion, this work provides new insights to understand distress types.