Title: Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design – Closing the Loop

Speaker:Dr. Rong Zong Wu (University of California)
Time:Monday, July 9, 2018, 10:00- 11:30
Venue:Lecture Hall 604 , Traffic building, Wushan Campus
Welcome all the teachers and students to attend this lecture!

Abstract:

Like many other states in the U.S., Californiais transitioning from using empirical method to mechanist-empirical (M-E) method for both rigid and flexible pavement designs in the hopes of driving innovations, improving efficiency, and promoting sustainability. Although the transition has proved to be slow, steady progress has been made. With the completion of a modern pavement management system in sight, it is believed that California finally has all the major components in place to close the loop for an M-E design approach. The purpose of this presentation is to propose an overarching framework that ties various aspects of pavement engineering into a virtuous cycle that leads to continuous improvements in both M-E design method itself and quality of the pavement network. Specifically, the presenter will discuss the roles of mechanistic model development, accelerated pavement testing, pavement management system, M-E calibration, mix design, and performance related construction specifications in an M-E design paradigm. The current progress made in California related to M-E design will also be presented. The goal is to provide a clear anatomy of the M-E design approach and hopefully showcase its various benefits and in turn promote its development and faster adoption.