Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Commentary Report
Copyright 2013, by the Department of Transport. All Rights Reserved. This manual, or parts
thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.
Contents Approval and Amendment Record
Page i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ iii
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2
2 methodology .......................................................................................................................... 3
3 background and history ........................................................................................................ 4
4 base documents .................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 1993 AASHTO Empirical method ...................................................................................... 5
4.2 Austroads Mechanistic-empirical method .......................................................................... 5
4.3 Abu Dhabi Municipality Pavement Design Manual ............................................................ 7
5 scope of manual .................................................................................................................... 8
5.1 Application of this manual ................................................................................................. 8
5.2 Content and format ........................................................................................................... 8
6 Document development ...................................................................................................... 10
6.1 Progress meetings .......................................................................................................... 10
6.2 Consultation meetings .................................................................................................... 10
6.3 Formal submission .......................................................................................................... 10
6.4 Workshop ....................................................................................................................... 11
6.5 Comment Review ........................................................................................................... 11
6.6 Final submission ............................................................................................................. 11
7 Acknowlegment ................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix A: compiled comments from Dot/ stakeholders ...................................................... 15
Appendix B: workshop presentation ......................................................................................... 26
Page ii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Mechanistic-Empirical Design Method Flowchart .............................................................. 7
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Technical Meetings Information ........................................................................................ 12
Page iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2010, the Department of Transport commenced with the Unifying and Standardizing of Road
Engineering Practices Project. The objective of the project was to enhance the management,
planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of all roads and related infrastructures
in the Abu Dhabi Emirate and ensure a safe and uniform operational and structural capacity
throughout the road network.
To achieve this objective a set of 36 standards, specifications, guidelines and manuals were
developed in consultation with all relevant authorities in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. In future, all
authorities or clients involved in roads and road infrastructures in the Emirate shall exercise their
functions and responsibilities in accordance with these documents.
One of these 36 manuals is the Pavement Design Manual (PDM). The PDM focuses on the
material characterization, traffic estimation and climatic influence for the structural design of the
pavements structural layers. Combining conditions and resources from different international
manuals, while including ways to use sustainable and economical materials, this manual is highly
applicable to Abu Dhabi.
This manual provides comprehensive information needed to develop complete structural pavement
designs for both flexible (asphalt) and rigid (concrete) pavements. Topics covered in PDM include
required traffic and climatic data for pavement design, material characterization, new pavement
design, rehabilitation techniques, pavement maintenance, pavement management, low volume
roads, evaluation of existing pavements condition and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis. This manual
also covers the empirical and the mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design methods. Using the
information in this manual, a designer can apply several design methods and select a final design
based on a life cycle cost analysis.
In coordination with DoT and Aurecon (Project Manager), following process was identified and
followed:
All the Chapters and Appendices of the PDM were developed in complete co-ordination with DoT.
Several chapters were submitted individually for DoT review during the development process.
However, the first complete draft of the PDM was delivered for review in April 2012. The document
has been subject to further rigorous review during several meetings with DoT lead reviewer. The
second full draft of the document was delivered for review in September 2012. In November 2012
a workshop was held for all agencies to present the draft final and collect their comments. In mid
December 2012 after meeting with DoT and other manuals developer a new chapter was
requested to be added. Finally, in February 2013 the final draft manual was submitted.
Page 1
1 INTRODUCTION
Pavement design, an integral and critical part of the transportation system, focuses on thickness
design of pavement layers. In general, pavement design requires knowledge about the materials in
any existing pavement layers, the foundation upon which the pavement will reside, traffic levels,
and climatic conditions. Selecting a final design, however, depends on the availability of materials,
funding, and local experience.
The manuals approach is consistent with DoTs objective to upgrade the existing pavement design
methodology by incorporating advanced technology and pavement design procedures. This
manual provides comprehensive information needed to develop complete structural pavement
designs for asphalt and concrete pavements. Topics include required data, material
characterization, new pavement design, rehabilitation techniques, pavement maintenance,
pavement management, low volume roads, and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis. This manual also
covers the empirical and the mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design methods.
Several pavement design methods are currently used by different agencies and countries. These
methods vary somewhat for differing local conditions and resources. The procedures range from
empirical to M-E approaches. New M-E pavement design analysis procedures developed over the
last 20 years focus on the design and construction of high quality, long-lasting and well-performing
highways that accommodate the increase in traffic volumes and loads in ways that exceed the
empirical methods. These new approaches are challenging in that they require advanced analysis
methods and material characterization. In response to these technical advances and increasingly
easy computation, DoT has incorporated the newer and more fundamental mechanistic-empirical
design approaches in this new manual.
Combining conditions and resources from different international manuals, while including ways to
use sustainable and economical materials, this manual is highly applicable to Abu Dhabi. It covers
different options for obtaining traffic count and loads, environmental factors, and advanced material
characterizations that apply to Abu Dhabi. Brief descriptions for some pavement design topics are
given since other DoT manuals cover such topics in more details.
This report supports the PDM manual, as it summarizes the approach followed in developing the
PDM. The report also, provides the activities undertaken and communications with DoT to develop
the PDM in its final version.
Page 2
2 METHODOLOGY
The method followed to develop the pavement design manual was set from the start of the project
with the DoT and Aurecon (Project Manager). The following process was identified and followed:
These steps were followed as practical as possible to develop the manual. Since the pavement
design manual is special design manual consultation with stakeholders were conducted mainly
during the workshops that was held during the project. Also, meetings with consultants developing
other manual were held to coordinate the interaction between the pavement design manual and
the other manuals.
The DoT instructions from the beginning were to incorporate a mechanistic-empirical method in the
new design manual, include new material characterization and add sections for pavement
maintenance and life cycle cost analysis. All the Chapters and Appendices of the PDM were
developed in complete co-ordination with DoT. An initial table of contents of the topics that
expected to be covered in the manual was given by the DoT. Some changes were introduced on
the table of content. However, all topics were covered in the developed manual.
The DoT requirements were included in a preliminary report that was submitted to DoT in March
2011. Following this submission a workshop was held in March 2011 to the DoT /Stakeholders.
The purpose of this workshop was to present the updated topics and table of contents that will be
incorporated in the manual as well as address comments received on the preliminary report.
Once the general outline was set from the workshop the manual development started. All the
Chapters and Appendices of the PDM were developed in complete co-ordination with DoT. Several
chapters were submitted individually for DoT review during the development process. The
following sections will cover the document development and the consultation with the DoT.
Page 3
3 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Historically, pavement design had been based on empirical models formulated from pavement test
tracks or lab testing. These empirical methods use nomographs and simple equations to obtain
the layers thickness. While these nomographs were developed using limited data, the issue that
had faced many agencies is when the conditions extend beyond the nomograph limits, is the
resulting thickness acceptable from an economical and safety viewpoints or not.
There had been a huge advance in the technology which led to the easiness to perform
complicated computations using computer. At the same time, there had been a significant
increase in the traffic loads, traffic counts, advance in material characterization and better
modelling of the environmental factors. Accordingly, agencies started looking into using
mechanistic empirical (M-E) methods that is based on fundamental properties and advanced
material characterization to better design economical pavement structure.
Countries around the World either use a method that was developed locally or adopt an
international method but modify it to the country local condition. The manuals that were
considered for the pavement design manual were the following:
The first 4 methods are mechanistic-empirical methods that are based on fundamental material
characterization and mechanistic analysis of pavement structure. While the remaining methods
are empirical methods developed from test tracks and lab testing analysis. Qatar PDM provides a
catalog type of pavements design manual in which a pavement section can be selected based
upon allowable traffic and foundation conditions.
These listed manuals were studied and evaluated for the Abu Dhabi. ME methods are based on
similar concepts with different models development. Accordingly, it was decided to rely on only
one empirical method and one ME method. The 1993 AASHTO was selected for the empirical
method because all agencies and clients are familiar with this method. 1993 ASSHTO guide has
been used for long time in Abu Dhabi as the base for Abu Dhabi Municipality Roadway Design
Manual. While, Austroads was selected for the M-E method because the models used in
Austroads were developed for similar climatic conditions to Abu Dhabi. In addition to these two
main manuals Abu Dhabi Municipality Roadway Design Manual referenced to obtain inputs that
was set for Abu Dhabi and is common to all pavement designers.
Page 4
4 BASE DOCUMENTS
The three manuals selected for the new Abu Dhabi pavement design manual were:
To develop the Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, AASHTO compiled results from road
tests conducted from 1958 to 1960 in Ottawa, Illinois, U.S.A. Data from these tests reflect one
climatic condition, one foundation type, and one million equivalent single axle loads (ESALs). From
1960 to 1993, AASHTO added several enhancements, such increased reliance on traffic data and
a limiting layer approach.
Covering both flexible and rigid pavement design, The 1993 AASHTO Guide describes material
characterization, equivalent traffic estimation, life cycle costs, and existing pavement evaluation. It
applies an ESAL as the basic unit for traffic estimation. Its material characterizations use an
empirical factor to reflect layer stiffness.
Pavement designers around the world have used this guide successfully for many years. Reasons
for designers success with this guide include the following:
Applying the fundamental stresses and strains of the materials in different layers at different depths
of the pavement structure, the mechanistic method enables designers to evaluate the validity of
proposed layer thicknesses. Designers calculate stresses and strains using either linear elastic
analysis or a more complicated model that focuses on finite elements under actual traffic loads.
Analysis using the mechanistic method also depends on detailed material characterizations, which
vary based on temperature (for hot mix asphalt layers), ground water table depth, and moisture
Page 5
content (for granular layers). All M-E methods involve using a software package to analyse and
design the pavement structure.
Austroads, the association of Australian and New Zealand road transport and traffic authorities,
has developed an M-E pavement design guide, Guide to Pavement Technology, Part 2: Pavement
Structural Design. This manual contains ten different sections that cover all aspects of pavement
design, including structural design, surfacing, materials, pavement evaluation and treatment,
maintenance, construction work practices, and drainage. Austroads also has a software package
for pavement analysis.
According to the Austroads guide, engineers apply structural analysis of the trial pavement
configuration to quantify critical strains and stresses that are caused by traffic loads. They can vary
the method to consider pavement layers as either fully elastic (viscoelastic), uniform in lateral
extent, or variable, with either full friction or no friction between the layers. By using these
variations, engineers attempt to establish theoretical estimates that agree with observed reactions
to traffic loading.
In addition, engineers can analyse pavement designs based on varying traffic loads, from a single
vertical load with uniform tire contact stress to multiple loads with multi-directional components and
non-uniform stress distribution. They can also vary traffic speeds to further assess potential traffic
loads. Engineers must be careful, however, to ensure that the sophistication of the analysis
method is compatible with the quality of the input data. Otherwise, they need to make too many
assumptions to fill the gaps, resulting in misleading, if not worthless, analysis.
Austroads states that engineers can reliably obtain required input for analysis based on the M-E
method. Results from such analysis provide predictions of pavement performance that reasonably
match pavement performance in Australasian.
Upon completing the structural analysis, engineers can use the results to estimate the allowable
loading of the pavement configuration. Austroads states that, in the M-E method, most
performance criteria assigned to pavement materials and to the subgrade relate the level of strain
induced by a standard single axle load and the number of such loads that exceed the pavements
tolerance level, based on material characteristics.
Page 6
Traffic Foundation Climate Material Properties Inputs
No
Accept
Yes
Comparison of Designs
Selection
Viable Design
Select Design
Page 7
5 SCOPE OF MANUAL
5.1 Application of this manual
Information in this manual focuses on structural pavement design, with methods for determining
layer thickness and pavement structural capacity. This manual is intended for use by pavement
engineers conducting structural design for either existing or new pavement structures.
Structural calculations for pavement design require knowledge of existing traffic flow, predictions of
anticipated future traffic, and environmental factors at the roads location. Pavement designers
must also obtain information about the properties of the materials (such as asphalt, Portland
cement, or granular road base) that will be used in each pavement layer. Designs must account for
these material properties in conjunction with the material specifications and asphalt mixture
designs, as detailed in the Abu Dhabi DoT Standard Specifications for Road Works manual.
Completing the pavement design process involves using either the 1993 AASHTO nomograph or
Austroads software to determine the required layer thickness. After generating several design
options using different methods, a pavement engineer shall conduct an LCC analysis to compare
the designs for cost effectiveness. For details about LCC analysis, refer to Chapter 9, Life-cycle
Cost Analysis, in this manual, as well as the Abu Dhabi DoTs Project Cost Estimating and
Standard Bill of Quantities manuals.
Pavement design requires not only designing new pavements, but also evaluating existing
pavement. Ensuring that existing pavement facilities have sufficient functional capacity and ride
quality involves maintenance, possibly including the construction of additional layers. Optional
methods for maintaining existing pavements include chip sealing, fog sealing, slurry sealing, and
crack sealing. Such maintenance or rehabilitation requires accessing the pavement condition
surveys database, which is part of the Abu Dhabi DoTs pavement management system, to get
information about the condition of the existing pavement. Refer to Chapter 10, Pavement
Management Systems, in this manual for information about the pavement management system
and Chapter 11 for the existing pavement evaluation and pavement condition surveys.
Evaluating existing pavements requires significant engineering judgement and effective application
of the backcalculation procedure. Based on the pavement design guidelines in this manual, design
engineers apply their own methodologies and experienced judgment to arrive at final rehabilitation
methods.
This manual provides guidelines for the design of new and rehabilitation of asphalt and concrete
pavements. The concrete pavement design guidelines are given in less detail. Applicable
international standards for concrete pavement design are followed in the manual.
Because different design methodologies deal with inputs in different ways, this manual advises
designers on how to estimate these inputs and how to obtain valid condition inputs for Abu Dhabi.
It also includes ways to ensure that pavement designs support sustainability.
Page 8
This manual includes the following chapters:
Chapter 1 Introduction: Outlines the purpose, scope, intended users, and application of
this manual.
Chapter 2 Pavement design components: Describes elements, such as environmental
and traffic factors, that must be considered in pavement design, and provides instructions
on how to determine such factors.
Chapter 3 Pavement material characterization: Identifies properties of pavement
materials and provides instructions on how to determine such properties through tests of
the use of models.
Chapter 4 Pavement rehabilitation: Details the rehabilitation of flexible and rigid
pavement structures.
Chapter 5 Rigid pavement design: Details the design of new flexible and rigid
pavement structures.
Chapter 6 Low-volume roads: Covers the design of low-volume roads.
Chapter 7 Drainage design: Focuses on the design of granular drainage layer in a
pavement structure.
Chapter 8 Flexible pavement maintenance: Offers different maintenance options.
Chapter 9 Life-cycle cost analysis: Details LCC analysis for pavement structures.
Chapter 10 Pavement management systems: Provides an overview of the Abu Dhabi
PMS and summarises related concepts.
Chapter 11 - Existing Pavement Evaluation: Provides overview of different methods to
conduct pavement condition surveys and how to analysis the collected distress data.
The appendices of this manual provide supplementary charts and tables for the design on the rigid
pavements.
Page 9
6 DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENT
The development of the manual document required progress meeting with DoT and Aurecon,
submission of separate chapters for early review, and meetings with DoT and other consultants.
The Table below includes the dates of meetings and presentations held during the progress of the
manual development.
The overall Schedule for Parsons International Limiteds completion of the Pavement design
manual is shown on the schedule included in PILs Project Management Plan (PMP). The key
milestone dates for the delivery of the Pavement Design manual are as follows.
In mid December 2012, a meeting was held at the DoT with DoT, Aurecon and the Getechnical
investigation manual developer (Halcrow). The outcome of this meeting was to add a new section
in the pavement design manual to cover the evaluation of the existing pavement structures.
The second full draft of the document was delivered for review in September 2012. The second
draft was distributed to the Stakeholders for their review. Initial comments from Aurecon reviewers
were send on the second draft. Comments that were received for the Pavement Design Manual
are listed in Appendix A.
In November 2012 a workshop was held for all agencies to present the draft final and collect their
comments. After the presentation additional comments were received from the Stakeholders
mainly Al-Ain Municipality. All comments were addressed and included in the final document.
In mid December 2012 after meeting with DoT and other manuals developer a new chapter on the
evaluation of the existing pavement structures was requested to be added. Initially, this new
section was added as an appendix and in February 2013 the final draft manual was submitted.
Then the DoT requested that it should be added as a new chapter to the main text which was done
in the final version that was submitted in beginning of May 2013.
6.4 Workshop
Two workshops were given during the project; the first was given in March 2011 to discuss the
initial outline of the manual. The second workshop was given on November 12th 2012. The
second workshop presented the final developed manual. The workshop discussed the new
features and methods described in the pavement design. A design example using the empirical
and the M-E method was presented to compare the two methods. The presentation given during
the second workshop is included in Appendix B.
The few comments that were not included require the standardization of certain inputs to the
design process. The standardization of certain inputs would disagree with one of the main
requirement of the manual that it should be applicable to all clients and projects. The
standardization can be done individually by local agencies to accommodate their local
requirements.
Page 11
The following table list the technical meeting held during the development of the PDM.
Page 12
7 ACKNOWLEGMENT
This document was developed by Parsons International Limited. The document consultants would
like to express their personal thanks and gratitude to:
Dr. Salim Sulaiman (DoT Review Committee Lead): For his clear and thoughtful guidance
throughout the development of PDM.
Willie Victor, For his time and support during the project progress.
Members of the DoT review Committee For their time and input to aid the development of the
PDM.
All remaining stakeholders :For having shared their thoughts, comments and ideas to develop
the PDM.
Parsons Staff:
Page 13
Page 14
APPENDIX A: COMPILED COMMENTS FROM DOT/ STAKEHOLDERS
This appendix provides the comments received for the Pavement Design Manual draft final version
by December 2012.
Page 15
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
1 Bus stops Bus stop pavement area should be laid with bitumen modified red M DOT-Public Transport Added to Roads Specification manual
colored asphalt wearing course. Division
2 Par 1.4 Content and Format Page 3 Chapter 8 - Flexible pavement maintenance: Change "offers" to L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
"Offers" Reviewer
3 Par 1.5.1Flexible pavements Page 4 In second paragraph change "contactors" to "contractors" L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
4 Par 2.1 Overview Page 9 First paragraph. Careful study and characterization of these factors L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
is Change "is" to "are" Reviewer
5 Par 2.2 Environment Page 9 Environment includes a many variables. Omit "a". L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
6 Figure 2-2 Page 12 Cannot read some rainfall figures H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
7 Table 2-1 Page 12 Start table on next page to fit the whole table on 1 page M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
8 Paragraph 2.3.2 Vehicle Page 16 Vehicle classifications on paragraph 3 should start with numbering 1 M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
classification and not 7 to be similar to numbering in Figure 2-4 on page 17 Reviewer
9 Paragraph 2.3.10 Truck factor and Page 21 and Page 22 These paragraps should be changed around because the method to M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Paragraph 2.3.11 Equivalent axle calculate EALF used in equation 2-9 in paragraph 2.3.10 is only Reviewer
load factor provided in paragraph 2.3.11
10 Paragraph 2.3.11 Page 22 Last sentence of first paragraph: "As an alternative method, can apply L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
.." Add "designers" before "can apply" Reviewer
11 Chapter 3 Pavement Materials Page 25 Second paragraph. Add "a" to "Pavement is composed of .." L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
Page 1 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
12 Par 3.2.1 Empirical design for Page 28 Add "The AASHTO Road Test basis of these correlations is" to the M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
granular base and subbase second sentence of the second paragraph reading "A granular base Reviewer
materials of has a layer " Refer to page II-17 and II-20 of 1993 AASHTO
Guide for Design of Pavement Structures
13 Figure 3-1 Page 29 This figure copied from the AASHTO manual page II-19 should be M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
revised so that the footers which include AASHTO manual references Reviewer
are not shown.
14 Figure 3-1 page 29 The title of this figure is on the page following the figure and should be L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
moved to the bottom of the figure on page 29 Reviewer
15 Par 3.2.1 Empirical design for page 30 Add "In the AASHTO Road Test the basis of these correlations is" to M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
granular base and subbase the second sentence of the paragraph reading " Granular subbase Reviewer
materials has a base layer " Refer to page II-20 of 1993 AASHTO Guide for
Design of Pavement Structures
16 Figure 3-2 Page 31 This figure copied from the AASHTO manual page II-21 should be M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
revised so that the footers which include AASHTO manual references Reviewer
are not shown.
17 Par 3.2.2 Mechanistic design for Page 32 Change the last sentence of the third paragraph to: "The top half of M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
granular base and subbase Table 3-2 is applicable for granular material that has a CBR greater Reviewer
materials than 30%." Refer Table 6.4 on page 52 of Austroads manual.
18 Par 3.3 modified granular materials Page 33 Last sentence of first paragraph : Change "stabilised" to "modified" in M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
the sentence "Austroads specifies that stabilised granular materials Reviewer
". Refer page 53 Autroads Manual
19 Figure 3-3 Page 35 This figure copied from the AASHTO manual page II-23 should be M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
revised so that the footers which include AASHTO manual references Reviewer
are not shown.
Page 2 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
20 Figure 3-4 Page 36 This figure copied from the AASHTO manual page II-24 should be M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
revised so that the footers which include AASHTO manual references Reviewer
are not shown.
21 Par 3.5.1 Empirical design for Page 38 Change the second paragraph to the following: "The structural M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
asphalt concrete materials coefficient of AC varies between 0.2 and 0.44 and AC with a layer Reviewer
coefficient of 0.44 (per inch), corresponds to an AC resiient modulus
of 3.1 Gpa (450,000 psi)" Reference AASHTO manual page II-17
22 Par 3.5.2 Mechanistic design for Page 41 First bullet " modulus of the bitumen" Second bullet. M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
asphalt concrete materials "percentage bitumen in the asphalt.." Directly from Austroads Reviewer
manual page 71. This is the convention used in AAHTO and
Austroads design manuals. In this design manual the authors used
aphalt binder and asphalt concrete.
23 Figure 3-7 Page 42 Change "asphalt" in title to "asphalt concrete". Refer Austroads figure M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
6.10 page 71 Reviewer
24 Figure 4-3 Page 55 Change "Foundatio" to "Foundation" and "Climat" to "Climate". Refer M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Austroads page 97. Reviewer
25 Par 4.2.2.3Determination of a Page 58 First paragraph. Change "because" to "Because" L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
granular base layer's elastic Reviewer
parameters
26 Par 4.3.2 Empirical pavement design Page 61 Second parapraph. Reference is made to Appendix C for design H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
traffic calculation procedure. Appendix C on page 202 contains Reviewer
AASHTO slab thickness design tables. Correct reference.
27 Par 4.3.3.2Determine required Page 67 First paragraph. "Refer to section X.". Provide correct reference H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
structural design Reviewer
28 Par 4.3.3.2Determine required Page 67 - 69 Please provide reference to the design figures: Figure 4-6, Figure 4- M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
structural design 7, Figure 4-8 and Figure 4-9. Could not be found in AASHTO or Reviewer
Austroads Design manuals
Page 3 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
29 Par 4.3.4 Joint details Page 70 Change "joint" to "joints" in first paragraph L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
30 Par4.3.5.1Rigid pavement types Page 72 Third sentence of first paragraph. Change "LPCP" to "JPCP" L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
31 Equation 4-10 Page 73 Provide details for the symbols used in equation as in Austroads M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
manual page 127. Note that according to Austroads manual the Reviewer
maximum value for subgrade CBR determined according to this
method is 15%.
32 Equation 4-11 Page 74 Change "Designers shall use Equation 4-12.." to "Designers shall use M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
equation 4-11.." in the line below the equation. Refer Austroads Reviewer
Manual page 130, equation 9.2
33 Equation 4-12 Page 74 Change title of Equation 4.12 to "Allowable axle load repitions when M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
stress (Sr) is between 0.45 and 0.55." Refer Autroads manual page Reviewer
130 equation 9.3
34 Equation 4-12 Page 75 Change "designers shall use Equation 4-13.." to "designers shall use M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
equation 4-12.." in the line below the eqation. Refer Austroads Manual Reviewer
page 130, equation 9.3
35 Equation 4-13 Page 75 Change title of Equation 4-13 to: "Equivalent Stress for use in M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
equations 4-11 and 4-12". Refer Austroads manual page 130 Reviewer
36 Par 4.4.3 Construction procedure Page 78 Recommend that the use of stabilised layers beneath interlock paver L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Added
blocks be mentioned. Also bedding sand layer thickness of 50 mm Reviewer
might be changed to 25 to 50 mm.
37 Par 4.4.4.1 Design factors Page 79 Change "The Four .." to "The four " in the first paragraph L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Reviewer
38 Par 5.4.2 Functional evaluation of Page 93 In the third bullet change "Refer to table 4-1 .." to "Refer to Table 5-1 M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
existing pavement .." Reviewer
Page 4 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
39 Par 5.5.6 Mechanistic design Page 102 Reference should be made to Austroads Guide to Pavement H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design Reviewer
40 Par 8.4 Pavement preservation Page 144 Recommend that paragraph 8.5 Preservation Treatments be placed M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
treatments before Paragraph 8.4 Pavement preservation treatments. The reason Reviewer
being that the individual treatments mentioned in paragraph 8.4 are
discussed in detail in paragraph 8.5.
41 Table 8-2: Pavement treatments and Page 147 and page Abbreviation "CIR" for cold in place recycling is used in comparison L Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Table 8-3 Pavement treatment cost 148 with pages 136, 137 and 155 where the abreviation "CIPR" is used. Reviewer
and expected life Recommend change to "CIPR" in these tables.
42 Profile milling, cold in place recycling, page 155 to page 157 These paragraphs should be numbered 8.5.2.6 ; 8.5.2.7; 8.5.2.8; H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Hot-in -place asphalt recycling, Full- 8.5.2.9 respectively Reviewer
depth asphalt repair (patching)
43 Hot -in-place asphalt recycling page 156 In the third paragraph mention is made of adding "bitumen". This is the M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Australian and American thermodology which is used worlwide. In this Reviewer
manual "bitumen" is called "asphalt".
44 Par 9.4 LCCA example page 171 The first line reads:"Figure 9-5 shows a step- by -step process" H Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
This is not correct because Figure 9-5 is a photo of a highway. Reviewer
45 Appendix A: Developing Effective page 185 The first paragraph says "This appendix provides an excerp from the M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Corrected
Modulus of Subgrade Reaction 1993 American Association of State " This exerp is not as on page Reviewer
ii-37 par 3.2.1 of the 1993 AASHTO manual. The reference should be
corrected
46 Cited References page 220 Add Austroads: Guide to Pavement Technology, Part 5: Pavement M Johan Calitz Aurecon Docment Added
Evaluation and Treatment Design. Synney Australia: Austroads Reviewer
Incorporated, 2008. 978-1-921551-22-2
Page 5 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
This is included in the traffic manual
Page 6 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
Added but more information is included in the specification
There is no Design guide line provided in the manual manual
Page 7 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
added
The last paragraph of the above section states that the
minimum CBR for the sub base is 65%.But sub base,
Al Ain
9 Unbound Granular material /6.3.2 CBR 60% material used in Al AIn , Similarly, Sub- L Al Ain Municipality
Municipality
base with CBR 30% used in Dubai. Therefore please
provide reference to the above requirement to justify.
Modified as possible
The Manual should use the cost inputs based on the Al Ain
10 Pavement treatment cost and expected life M Al Ain Municipality
local condition rather than referring to US condition. Municipality
Page 8 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
This would differ from one client to the other and each
should have his own requirements.
Provide check list sheet that include requirements
Al Ain
13 Pavement Design Check list General Comment information for the pavement design to assess designer L Al Ain Municipality
Municipality
in revising pavement design documents
Page 9 of 10
UNIFYING AND STANDARDIZING OF ROAD ENGINEERING PRACTICES
CONSOLIDATED REVIEWERS COMMENT SHEET
Deliverable Title of Interim
A14 Document Title: Pavement Design Manual A14.12 Second Draft Document
Ref: Deliverable:
ACONEX Document No. of Interim
MAN-000540 Revision No: 3 Dated: #################### ACONEX Document No. of Approved Content Outline:
Deliverable Reviewed:
No Subject Page / Section No Reviewers Comment Priority Reviewer Reviewer's DDC Response
(H,M,L) Organization
Add more details to page 23 and describe traffic Dr.Salim/ Dr. Corrected
DOT
13 Pavement Design Manual wander and other factors listed. Nabel
Dr.Salim/ Dr. Added
Include CBR power model DOT
14 Pavement Design Manual Nabel
Emphasize that better quality material should be at the Dr.Salim/ Dr. text is added
DOT
15 Pavement Design Manual top for empirical design. Nabel
Add more details on the Geo-grids functionality and Dr.Salim/ Dr. Geo-grids specification is added in the specification
DOT manual. Geogird impact in pavement design is not proven
16 Pavement Design Manual description Nabel yet
Comment on reliability and its impact on structure Dr.Salim/ Dr. Text updated
DOT
17 Pavement Design Manual design Nabel
Adjust the drainage coefficient to include 1.2 for Dr.Salim/ Dr. Corrected
DOT
18 Pavement Design Manual drainage layers. Nabel
Corrected
Adjust Road Classes to reflect Highway classes (Truck Dr.Salim/ Dr.
DOT
route, freeway, expressway, collector and local). Nabel
19 Pavement Design Manual
Page 10 of 10
APPENDIX B: WORKSHOP PRESENTATION
This appendix provides the slides for the presentation given by PIL on the pavement design
manual draft final version during the second workshop on 12 November 2012.
Page 26
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1
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Overall Objectives
Unify the approach for preparing BoQ and Cost Estimation for all
Road Projects in the Emirates
Update to recent international standards and practices
Inclusive for all conditions and types of road construction within
the Emirate
Produce high quality manuals and documents that are most
applicable for the longest term possible
Customize Manuals for Abu Dhabi environment utilizing Parsons
local work experience
2
5/6/2013
Other Documents
The manual shall be read in conjunction with the following
documents.
AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993
Guide to Pavement Technology Part 2, Austroads, 2008,
DoT Standard Specifications
DoT Roads Drainage Manual
DoT Standard Bill of Quantities
DoT Cost Estimating Manual
3
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4
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Rainfall
56.3 mm
Weighted mean
annual air
temperature
45.0 C to 38.7 C,
43.5 C
5
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EALF = (L/SL)m
6
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7
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Subbase Subbase
Lean Mix Base 4-5% quality quality
Property
Concrete cement crushed rock crushed rock
2-4% cement 4-5% cement
Range of Modulus (MPa) 5000-15000 3000-8000 2000-5000 1500-3000
Typical Modulus (MPa) 7000 5000 3500 2000
Degree of anisotropy 1 1 1 1
Range of Poissons ratio 0.1-0.3 0.1-0.3 0.1-0.3 0.1-0.3
Typical value of Poissons ratio 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
8
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9
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10
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No
Accept
Yes
Comparison of Designs
Selection
Viable Design
Select Design
11
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Chapter 5 Rehabilitation
Important consideration
Pre-overlay repair
Milling
Recycling
Structural or functional overlay
Pavement Evaluation structural Capacity
Empirical overlay design 1993 AASHTO
ME overlay design 2008 Austroads
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Chapter 5 Rehabilitation
Repairs needed before overlay
Distress Type Required Repair
Alligator cracking Repair all high-severity alligator cracking.
Repair medium-severity cracking, unless using reflective
crack control or paving fabric.
Remove soft subsurface material.
Linear cracks Patch high-severity cracks.
Fill linear cracks greater than 0.25 inch with sand-asphalt
mixture or crack filler.
Apply reflective crack control for transverse cracks with
significant opening and closing.
Rutting Apply milling or place a levelling course to remove ruts.
Investigate which layer caused any severe rutting.
Surface irregularities Investigate depressions, humps, ad corrugations; apply
treatment as necessary, which typically involves removal
and replacement.
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Chapter 5 Rehabilitation
Structural Evaluation
Visual Survey and material testing
Nondestructive Testing (NDT)
Estimation of Remaining surface life
Chapter 5 Rehabilitation
ME Overlay Design
Similar to New design
Evaluate Existing layer properties
Assume existing layers are fully cracked (no
remaining life)
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15
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16
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Subgrade Layer
Subgrade Layer
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Subgrade Layer
19
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20
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21
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22
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Thanks!
Discussions
23
4.5 Empirical Pavement Design Example
This section provides an example for an empirical flexible pavement design using the 1993
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for
Design of Pavement Structures.
The example is a 4 lane highway that will link Adu Dhabi Island to Al Ain. The soil is mainly
characterized as A-3 Silty-Sand soil with a CBR of 10%. The traffic study shows that the
current one way Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) is about 1700 vehicle with 60% Buses
and trucks (Classes 4 to 13). Flexible pavement is recommended for this road. However,
two scenarios will be used to compare the most economical option of the two. The first
option is to use typical multi layer structure with aggregate granular base layer. While, the
second option is to use a deep strength structure, which includes a cement stabilized base
layer.
The following are the required inputs for the pavement design.
4.5.1 Environment
The ground water table (GWT) along the roadway is deep and will not impact the moisture
content of the subgrade layer. Accordingly, no correction is need for the subgrade modulus.
4.5.2 Traffic
Traffic is very important and requires accurate data. A traffic survey was conducted in a
nearby existing road. Both vehicle count and vehicle classification was conducted in the
survey in addition to an axle load survey. The following parameters are taken for the
pavement design:
Vehicle Classifications: From the traffic survey it was found that the traffic is divided
into different vehicle classes as given Table 4-14. The AADT per vehicle class is
shown in the third column. The truck traffic from this would be the summation of the
vehicle counts from class 4 to class 13. This would yield an Annual Average Daily
Truck Traffic (AADTT) of 1700*0.6= 1020 vehicle per day.
Axle load distribution: the Axle load survey gave the percentage of axle load
distributions for each of the single, tandem and Tridem axles, as shown in Table
4-15, Table 4-16, and Table 4-17, respectively. These loads were used to calculate
the EALF as given in Equation 2-10. The standard axle load from Table 2-3 for the
single, tandem and Tridem axles were 80, 135 and 181 kN, respectively. Also, the
power used in the calculation is 4 for the empirical design method as given in Table
2-4. The EALF for each load group is given in the third column.
The EALF is then multiplied by the percentage of this axle load to obtain the
individual truck factor (TF) as shown in the fourth column. The individual values are
then summed up to obtain the total TF for each axle.
The total TF for all axles types summation of the three values i.e.
0.3069+0.7984+1.2914 = 2.3967.
Table 4-14: Vehicle Classification Distribution
The previous parameters are used to calculate the total equivalent single axle load
(ESAL) as given in Equation 2-11.
4.5.3 Materials
Flexible pavement structure can be composed of several layers such as the subgrade,
granular base/subbase, cement stabilized base and asphalt concrete layer. In the following
section the modulus of each possible layer will be estimated using the models given in
Chapter 3 of this manual.
Figure 3-1 is then used to estimate the layer coefficient for the granular base layer (a2)
which is yield to be 0.13 per inch = 0.05 per cm.
Reliability level (%) = 99.9 % as given in Table 4-1 for Rural Roads.
Standard normal deviate = -3.09052 for the 99.9 % reliability
Initial serviceability = 4.2
Terminal Serviceability = 3.0
Overall standard deviation = 0.45
In addition to:
ESAL = 41,046,106
Subgrade Mr = 15,000 psi
Base Mr = 36,953 psi
CTB Mr = 850,000 psi
Layer coefficient for AC a1 = 0.17
Layer coefficient for aggregate base a2 = 0.05
Layer coefficient for CTB base a2 = 0.10
Equation 4-1 is then used to calculate the required structure number (SN) at the top of the
subgrade (SN2) and base layer (SN1).
The required SN2 is equal to 6.93. While, SN1 is equal to 5.18. SN1 is obtained by using
the MR of the base layer as the input to the 1993 AASHTO equation.
The total thickness of the AC layer = SN1 / a1 = 5.18/0.17 = 30.5 cm i.e. 31 cm. This can be
divided into 6 cm surface course and 25 cm base course.
The thickness of the base layer = (SN2 SN1)/a2 = (6.93 (31*0.17))/0.05 = 33.2 cm i.e. 35
cm. This can be divided into 15 cm granular base layer and 20 cm granular subbase layer.
Total SN = 31*0.17+35*0.05=7.02, which exceeds the 6.93 required from the 1993 AASHTO
equation.
In case of using the CTB, a new SN1 could have been obtained to reduce the AC thickness.
However, in this example the AC thickness is kept the same at 31 cm, and makes the
modification in the base layer thickness.
The thickness of the base layer = (SN2 SN1)/a2 = (6.93 (31*0.17))/0.1 = 16.6 cm i.e. 17
cm of a CTB base layer.
Total SN = 31*0.17+17*0.1=6.97, which exceeds the 6.93 required from the 1993 AASHTO
equation.