This paper reports results of a calibration analysis of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (M-E PDG) for Wisconsin. The analysis identified calibration factors for the fatigue damage model for predicting longitudinal cracking in flexible pavements. Calibration factors were derived by minimizing the differences between observed and predicted pavement performance. These calibrated models in the M-E PDG assure the reliable prediction of pavement distress leading to longitudinal cracks. Gathering data for the calibration analysis is labor intensive because these data reside in various and incongruent data sets. Spreadsheet templates specifically designed to manage the calibration data were used to collect pavement performance and material data from the various sources at the state transportation agency in Wisconsin. In addition, the calibration factors were determined using cleaned data from observed field performance in Wisconsin.
Abstract