A prototype knowledge-based system has been developed to assist state highway engineers in project-level evaluation and rehabilitation planning and design for high-type (Interstate) concrete pavements. It uses information provided by the engineer to identify types of deterioration present and determine their causes, to select rehabilitation techniques that will effectively correct the existing deterioration and prevent its recurrence, to combine individual rehabilitation techniques into feasible rehabilitation strategies, and to predict the performance of alternative rehabilitation strategies. Pavement types addressed by the system are jointed reinforced concrete, jointed plain concrete, and continuously reinforced concrete. Predictive models are incorporated into the system to show future pavement performance with and without rehabilitation. These models were developed from national data bases of concrete pavement projects and may be of limited applicability to a specific state's climatic conditions and materials. Interactive computer programs for each of the three pavement types will operate on any IBM-compatible personal computer.
Abstract