The aim of the project was to develop a user-friendly and flexible design system for road pavements which is suitable for Swedish conditions. The following three principal sections are required for the calculations of the bearing capacity of road pavements based on a mechanistic approach: (1) a calculation method for the determination of stresses and strains in the road structure; (2) knowledge of the mechanical properties of the road building materials and of the subgrade, primarily stiffnesses or resilient moduli; and (3) design criteria or design values for the stresses and strains that are critical for the bearing capacity of the road structure. This project has focused on the latter two sections. To calculate stresses and strains, an existing computer programme based on linear elasticity theory (Chevron) is used. To make the design system as user-friendly as possible, it was decided to develop it for use in a PC and Windows environment. In addition to bearing capacity design, an analytical method of design with regard to frost heave based on calculation model developed at an earlier stage is also included in the system. Finally, the system also makes it possible to calculate the cost of a calculated structure by giving the price per unit for the various pavement materials. (A)
Abstract