In this paper a general description is given of the way the variations and uncertainties of the design parameters can be taken into account in the prediction of the structural behaviour of pavement constructions. First the hypothetical situation of fully known frequency distributions for the design parameters over a road section is described. After this, the description is generalized by considering the influence of the uncertainty in the frequency distributions of the design parameters. As a partial quantitative elaboration of this general description, the influence of estimated variations in the design parameters on the fatigue performance of a road section with a full-depth bituminous pavement is presented. full-depth bituminous pavement is presented. It appears that consideration of the frequency distributions and their uncertainty is essential to enable a prediction of structural pavement behaviour that allows comparision with observed behaviour. (A)
Samenvatting