Described is the development of an initial prototype expert system to assist local engineers in designing the structural thickness of asphalt concrete pavement overlays. The system is called overdrive(overlay design heuristic adviser) and is part of ongoing research at the university of california, irvine, that is developing an integrated set of expert system tools for the analysis and design of highway pavement rehabilitation strategies. The paper provides an overview of expert systems concepts and overlay thickness design methods. A discussion of the overdrive system follows, including the main components of the first prototype, version 1.1. It is concluded that a knowledge-based approach to pavement overlay design is feasible and, even in prototype form, overdrive is a potentially useful tool for local highway engineers. Ongoing research will refine and expand theknowledge base and user interface of overdrive to enhance its performance as an expert design tool. This paper appeared in transportation research record no. 1145, Expert systems for transportation applications. For covering abstract see IRRD no 817754.
Samenvatting