A Fast and Non-Destructive Prediction Model for Remaining Life of Rigid Pavement with or without Asphalt Overlay

Remaining life is an important indicator of pavement residual effective service time and is directly related to maintenance decision-making with limited funds. This paper proposes a fast and non-destructive model to predict the remaining life of rigid PCC (Portland cement concrete) pavement, with or without asphalt overlay. Firstly, a model was constructed according to the current Chinese design specifications for concrete pavement integrating an inverse design concept. Secondly, the prediction model was applied to three typical pavement sections with 1430, 1250 and 1000 slabs, respectively. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) was utilized to determine the geometric parameters in the predictive model and the physical state of the pavement. A falling weight detector (FWD) was utilized for determination of the mechanical parameters. A more reasonable equivalent elastic modulus of foundation was back-calculated instead of using the limited model in the design specification. Thirdly, the remaining life was predicted based on the current mechanical and geometric parameters. The distributions of the remaining life of the three pavement sections was statistically analyzed. Finally, a decision-making system to inform maintenance strategy was proposed based on the remaining life and the technical condition of each slab. The results showed that the relationship between the remaining life and the mechanical parameters, geometric parameters and the physical state of the pavement was highly consistent with engineering experience. The success rate of the prediction model was as high as 96%. The proposed fast and non-destructive prediction model showed good engineering applicability and feasibility. The decision-making system was shown to be feasible in terms of economic benefits.

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