Cost-Effective Assessment of

Pavement Condition

David K. Hein, P.Eng., M.ASCE

dhein@ara.com

Distribution of the webinar materials outside of your site is prohibited. Reproduction of the materials and pictures without a written permission of the
copyright holder is a violation of the U.S. law.

David K. Hein, P.Eng.

 Over 35 years of experience in the design, evaluation

and management of permeable pavements

 World Road Association Asset Management

Committee

 Extensively involved with ASCE

 T&DI Board of Governors, Past President
 Chair, Education and Workforce Development Council
 Chair, Interlocking Concrete Pavement Committee
 Chair, Permeable Pavement Committee
 Chair, Large Element Paving Slab Committee
 Co-Chair, Smart Cities Task Force
 Teaching and training through pavement related
webinars

1
 Webinar Outcomes

 Recognize the factors that measure the performance of a

pavement

 Understandthe types of equipment used to evaluate

pavement condition and what the data means

 Know how to use pavement condition data to develop

pavement performance prediction models to improve the
overall health of the network

 Evaluate
methods for easy retrieval and understanding of
pavement condition data

 Cost-effectively
determine the type and frequency of
pavement condition data collection

Importance of Roadway
Infrastructure
 Effective transportation is the life-blood of the Country

 Pavements are a major investment and asset

 Essential to permit the movement of goods and people

 Desire to maintain pavements in a serviceable condition

 Conditionevaluation necessary to identify maintenance

needs to ensure quality and safety

 Large, complex networks at local, state and national levels

 Trackcurrent and predict future condition for cost-effective

investment planning

2
 Why Carry Out Pavement
Evaluations?
 Assess the overall condition of the pavement network

 Determine cost-effective maintenance and rehabilitation

action

Why Carry Out Pavement

Evaluations?
 Determine trends in pavement condition of the road network
100

80
Average PCI

60

40 Major arterial roads

20 Other arterial roads

0
1999 2002 2005 2008
Survey year

 Establish funding needs

 Demonstrate the benefits of ongoing spending on pavement

infrastructure

3
 Why Carry Out Pavement
Evaluations?
 Identify:
 Causes of pavement deterioration (poor drainage and inappropriate
pavement materials)
 Well or poorly performing initial pavement structures
 Well or poorly performing M&R treatments
 Rates of deterioration
 Pavement sections with inadequate structural capacity

 Evaluate preventative maintenance strategies

 Plan for future work

Historical Methods

4
 Historical Methods

Desire for More Information

and Safety in Data Collection

10

5
 Data Collection Vehicles

11

Laser Profiling and Texture

12

6
 Pavement Evaluation and
Management

 Are we collecting the correct data?

 Is it stored properly?

 Are there checks in place to ensure quality?

13

What are some Gaps for the

Evaluation of Pavements

 Historical construction records

 Accurate traffic data

 Useful information

 Available technology

 Location referencing

14

7
 Methods for Collecting
Distress Data
 Each rating using a 0 through 10 scale

0 = Failed, 10 = Excellent

10
Excellent
8.5
Very good
7
Good
5.5
Fair
4
Poor
2.5
Very poor
1
Failed
0

15

Methods for Collecting

Distress Data
 Manually

 Semi-automated
 High definition images gathered at posted speed limit
 Distresses identified visually by an expert rater
 Suitable for high speed, high volume facility where manual data gathering is
dangerous

 Automated
 Optical, automated recognition of distresses

16

8
 Pavement Surface Condition

 Many
different distress condition rating procedures and
manuals

 Typically determine condition on scale of 0-10 or 0-100

17

Pavement Surface Condition

 Identify distress types, extents and severities

 Areas exhibiting medium and high severity depressions exceeding 0.5 in. should be
repaired

 Remove pavers and bedding stone

 Level the exposed base and compact

 Replace bedding stone and reinstate pavers and jointing stone

18

9
19

Image Data Processing

20

10
 Laser Reflection Data
Collection

21

Laser Reflection Data

Collection

22

11
 Laser Reflection Data
Collection

23

Laser Reflection Data

Collection

24

12
 Laser Reflection Data
Collection

25

Laser Reflection Data

Collection

26

13
 Laser Reflection Data
Collection

27

Laser Reflection Data

Collection

28

14
 Pavement Condition Data
Collection
Advantages
 Cost effective evaluation of pavement condition
 Safety in data collection
 Repeatability
 Ability to rapidly identify “changes”

Disadvantages
 Some “expert” interpretation of results is required
 High cost of equipment
 Immense amount of data storage (petybytes)

29

Use and Cost of Pavement

Surface Condition Data Collection

 Need for manual, semi-automated or automated

depends on size of network, desired complexity of
analysis and use for data collected

 Manualsufficient for project level surveys, lower

volume roadways and small networks

 Semi-or automated surveys more appropriate for large

networks, desire for integrated condition data (distress,
smoothness, deflection and texture etc.)

 Equipment costs can easily exceed $1M

 Costs
can vary substantially from 10s of $ per mile to
$100s of $ per mile

30

15
 Pavement Smoothness

 Irregularities in the pavement surface that affect the ride

quality
 Rough roads
 Lower speed
 Discomfort
 Potential damage to vehicles
 Increased operating costs
 Lower service life

 Singlelargest factor that influences when a roadway needs

to be rehabilitated

31

Manual/Semi-Manual
Measuring Devices
 Manymanual and semi-automated methods to measure
pavement roughness

32

16
 Smoothness Measuring
Devices
 Determined mechanically using surveys, profilers and
inertia based devices
• Measures the reaction of a vehicle to deformations in the pavement

 Inertial Road Profiling Systems (IRPS)

 Sensors measure profile using combination of lasers and

relative displacement

 Output is International Roughness Index (IRI)

33

Pavement Smoothness

 Profile data used to calculate IRI

34

17
 Municipal Roughness
Measuring
 Current trend is to specify automated roughness measuring

 Problematic in Urban Areas!

 The urban municipal environment can artificially create a

“rougher road”

 Access holes, water valves, significant changes

in pavement conditions, changes at intersections,
bridge decks all increase the roughness

 Not recommended for lanes less then 1,200 ft long

 Notrecommended for posted speed limit less

than 40 miles/hr

35

Pavement Cross Slope

 Calculatedat 20-30 ft intervals using Applanix POS/LV, IMU

(3 accelerometers and 3 Gyroscopes) and digital GPS

36

18
 Pavement Cross Slope

 Importantfor the removal of water from the pavement surface

to prevent hydroplaning during rain events
ElementID Filename Segment From To Cross‐Slope (%)
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.000 ‐0.010 ‐0.37
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.007 0.000 0.93
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.017 0.007 0.75
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.027 0.017 0.66
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.037 0.027 1.34
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.047 0.037 1.87
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.057 0.047 2.79
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.067 0.057 4.18
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.077 0.067 5.15
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.087 0.077 3.60
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.097 0.087 4.78
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.107 0.097 4.51
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.117 0.107 4.36
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.127 0.117 4.46
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.137 0.127 4.44
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.147 0.137 4.00
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.157 0.147 5.98
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.167 0.157 4.52
163325 REG01.P01 11 0.177 0.167 0.20

37

Pavement Rutting

 Rutting is calculated and reported at regular intervals for the

left and right wheelpath, averaged and then averaged again
for each road section

38

19
 Pavement Rutting

 Caution for rut depth measurements

 DSV used 5 laser sensor rutting

 For severe rutting, top of rut and bottom of rut may not have been over
one of the lasers used to measure pavement elevation

39

Use and Cost of IRI, Rutting and

Cross Slope Measuring Equipment

 Project level checks of low frequency, high amplitude

events, manual sufficient

 Quality assurance or for network level pavement

management, automated is much more cost effective
and produces frequent data that can be analyzed
efficiently

 Network level surveys, $10-$25/mile

40

20
 Lidar Measurements

41

Lidar Measurements

42

21
 Surface Texture and Friction

43

Surface Friction

 Force developed at pavement-tire interface that resists

sliding

 Influenced by:

 Surface texture

 Surface drainage (cross-slope)

 Important for driver safety

44

22
 What is Surface Texture?

 Characteristics that contribute to surface friction

 Microtexture – Roughness of individual pieces of

aggregate

 Macrotexture

 General coarseness of pavement surface

 Formed water channels (grooving)

 Large impact on surface friction

45

Microtexture and
Macrotexture

46

23
 Pavement Friction

Do you know the frictional properties of your network?

47

Pavement Friction

 Assess frictional properties of pavement surface

 Tested at either ASTM specified or posted speed limit

 Minimal impact to traffic

 Calculates a Skid Number (SN)

 SN values range from 0 to 100

 0 representing no friction and 100 representing complete friction

LOW FRICTION DOES NOT NECESSARILY RESULT IN

COLLISIONS

48

24
 Municipal Pavement Friction
Monitoring

 No longer use the excuse of “we didn’t know there was a

friction issue”

 Monitoring frictional properties of network

 Preparing friction management plans
 Keeping ahead of potential liability claims

 Identify
sections that may require further pavement
investigations

 Assist in collision analyses

 Should further pavement investigations be completed?
 Should further non-friction pavement factors be investigated? i.e.
roadway geometrics

49

Friction Data

SN Value Colour Recommendations

SN<26 Red Further pavement investigation required

26<= SN < 33 Orange Further pavement investigation recommended
33<= SN < 40 Yellow Continue to monitor pavement friction
SN >= 40 Green Investigate non-friction pavement factors

50

25
 Friction Management Plan
Define pavement
network & identify sites

Review and evaluate the

friction management
plan

Perform biannual Compile and review

network friction testing collision information

Evaluate collision data to

determine if high Is friction
rates are due to an No below the
inadequate investigatory investigatory Collision Statistics Year 20XX
level or non‐friction level?
related causes.
Yes
Number of Collisions
No Are wet # of Collisions Vehicle miles travelled
collision rates
high? Number of Wet Pavement Collisions
Yes
Number of Dry Pavement Collisions
Perform detailed site
investigation for all Skid Collision Rate
problem areas
Wet to Dry Collision Ratio
Monitor site and
consider non‐site No Does site need
related collision restoration?
mitigation factors
Yes
Perform short‐term
remedial works if
necessary. Identify
preferred restoration
strategy and schedule
mitigation.

51

Surface Texture
Measurement (Sand Patch)

52

26
 International Friction Index
(IFI)
 Incorporates
simultaneous measurements of friction and
macrotexture
 Speed constant (Sp)
 Friction number (F60)
 Becoming friction measurement standard
 Modern high-speed measuring equipment measure IFI
directly

53

Use and Cost of Friction

Measurement Equipment

 Projectlevel checks of low frequency, high amplitude

events, manual sufficient

 Quality assurance or for network level pavement

management, automated is much more cost effective
and produces frequent data that can be analyzed
efficiently

 Project level evaluation (intersection), $1,500

 Networklevel surveys, $20-$50/mile (depends on

frequency of testing – typical 3 to 5 per mile)

54

27
 Structural Capacity
Evaluation

0 20 30 45 60 90 150 cm

Undeflected Pavement
Deflected Pavement

55

Falling Weight
Deflectometer (FWD)
 Assesses uniformity and structural adequacy
 Calculate structural number (overall strength) of pavement
 Calculate subgrade strength
 Seasonal variations

 Identify sections with uniform/non-uniform strength

 Identify locations for sampling / testing

 Characterize material properties

 Rational basis for structural capacity assessment

 Minimal disruption to traffic

56

28
 Impulse Loading

m
h
Pavement
Deflection
k

57

Strong versus Weak

Pavements
NDT Load

“Strong”
Pavement “Weak”
Pavement

58

29
 FWD

59

Dynatest HWD HWD

60

30
 Flexible Pavement Testing
Plan

Direction of Travel
Min. Min.
15 m L* 15 m
Inner Pavement Marking

P1 F1 F1
Mid‐Lane
P0 & P3 F0 F3 F3 F0
Outer Wheel Path

Outer Pavement Marking

Network/Project Limit

L* – Interval of Test Point, See Table 5

F0 – FWD Test shall be conducted at corehole/borehole location NTS

61

Jointed Concrete Testing

Plan

Direction of Travel
Min. Min.
15 m Slab* 15 m

Inner Pavement Marking

P1 J1 Mid‐Lane
P0 & P3 J0 J4 J5 Outer Wheel Path J0
J2 J3
P2 Pavement Edge
Outer Pavement Marking
Network/Project Limit

Slab* – Frequency of Test Slab, See Table 5

J0 – FWD Test shall be conducted at corehole/borehole location NTS

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 FWD Testing Plan Summary
Test Location No. of Test
Test Plan Pass No.
Point Transverse Longitudinal Test Point Type
F0 P0 Outer Wheel Path Core/Borehole 2 DB
FLEX F1 P1 Mid Lane -- See DB
(DB) Table 5 in
F3 P3 Outer Wheel Path -- Section DB
3.5

J0 P0 Outer Wheel Path Core/Borehole 2 DB

J1 P1 Mid Lane Middle of Slab See DB
JCP J2 P2 DB
Pavement Edge Corner of Slab Table 5 in
(DB/LT)
J3 P2 Pavement Edge Middle of Slab Section DB
J4, J5 P3 Outer Wheel Path +/- Joint 3.5 LT

T1, T2 P1 +/- Joint or LT

Outer Wheel Path
Crack
T3, T4 P1 Outer Wheel Path +/- Joint LT
See
T5, T6 P1 Outer Wheel Path +/- Joint Table 5 in LT
JCP (LT)
T7, T8 P2 Inner Wheel Path +/- Joint Section LT
3.5
T9, P2 LT
Inner Wheel Path +/- Joint
T10
T11 P3 Mid-Lane Middle of Slab LT

Test Plan
Data Collection Scenario
FLEX (DB) JCP (DB/LT) JCP (LT)
Network Level Every 200 m to 500 m 10% of Slabs N/A
General Project Level Every 50 m to 200 m 25% of Slabs N/A
See Table 7 in
Detailed Project Level Every 10 m to 50 m 50% of Slabs
Section 3.5.2

63

Structural Capacity

 Measure of a pavement’s ability to carry repeated traffic

loads over time
 Affected by the following factors
 Initial
pavement structure and subgrade (thickness and
quality)
 Magnitude of the applied loads
 Environmental factors (moisture, temperature,
freeze/thaw)
 Maintenance

 Decreases with time

64

32
 Seasonal Change in
Structural Capacity
Period of
Strength Loss Period of Rapid
Strength
Recovery
Period of
Deep Frost
DEFLECTION

Period of Slow
Strength Recovery

DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
TIME

65

Seasonal Variation (Sandy

Subgrade
2500

72060 72065 72070

2000
Deflection (microns)

1500

1000

500

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Station (km)
Spring 2006 Summer 2006 LHRS

66

33
 Seasonal Variation (Silty
Clay Subgrade)
2500

56900 56910 56920

2000
Deflection (microns)

1500

1000

500

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Station (km)
Spring 2006 Summer 2006 LHRS

67

Rigid Pavement Joint/Crack

Evaluation

68

34
 Rigid Pavement Joint/Crack
Evaluation

Visual deterioration of surface

Existing
Joint or Crack

Dowel
Bar

Actual deterioration at bottom of slab

69

FWD Joint/Crack Load

Transfer Evaluation

70

35
 Decision Matrix for Repair

Joint/Crack Severity
LTE
Low Medium High
Consider other
Full Depth
data to Full Depth
>70% Repair NOT
determine Repair
Required
repair
Consider other
50-70% data to Full Depth Full Depth
determine Repair Repair
repair

Full Depth Full Depth Full Depth

<50%
Repair Repair Repair

71

Primary use for FWD Data

 Material characterization of
• Subgrade (Mr, k-value)
• Pavement Modulus Values (Epcc, Eac, Ebase)

 Structural evaluation
• Structural capacity
• Remaining life
• Rehabilitation designs

 Concrete pavements
• Load transfer efficiency
• Void detection

 Construction
 Subgrade consistency and resilient modulus

72

36
 Rolling Wheel Deflectometer

73

RWD Process and Use

 Measures the continuous
pavement deflection profile due to
an 80 kN single axle truck load

 Provides a measure of the overall

structural capacity of highway
sections

 Information
can be used for
network-level evaluation and
management

 Pre-screener for where to focus

project-level efforts (i.e., FWD,
coring, etc.)

74

37
 Trailer Length
53 ft
8.5 ft

2
Deflection, mils

10

12

14
-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Distance from axle, ft
75

Spatially Coincident Method

Time 1
D1 C1 B1 A1

Anchors
12 in

8.5 ft
D2 C2 B2 A2

Anchors
Time 2

Deflection is the difference between loaded

and unloaded profiles

76

38
 Example Structural
Evaluation

Mile Marker
77

RWD Treatment Matrix

Representative RWD Deflection, mm
PCI PCI < 0.9 0.9 – 1.25 > 1.25 High Traffic
Value Rating < 1.1 1.1 – 1.9 > 1.9 Low Traffic

Good Fair Poor Structural Rating

100
Excellent Defer Maintenance
90
Very Good Crack sealing (maximum 1 time)
80
Good Chip seal, Defer Improvements
Microsurfacing
65 (maximum 2 times)

Fair 100 mm AC Mill and

50 mm AC Mill and Overlay Overlay

40

Poor 100 mm AC Mill and Overlay Reconstruction

0

78

39
 Travelling Speed
Deflectometer
 Standard load still required, and laser continuously measure
vertical speed at which the pavement surface is moving under the
load

Wheel lasers fire continuously over the loaded

pavement

79

Laser Configuration

80

40
 RWD Vision Equipment

 Image-based
 Overlaps two spatially coincident, high-resolution images
 First image, undeflected area only. Second image, mainly the deflection
basin with small undeflected area

 Lighting
 High-speed flashes, overcome shadows from ambient lighting
 Synchronized with high-speed cameras

81

Vision Benefits

 Data Quality
 Provides entire basin in front of the RWD wheel (instead of maximum
deflection only)
 Accuracy of individual deflections is much higher than laser system
(may not require averaging)

 Operational
 Does not require a thermal chamber to maintain constant temperature
 Potential to be installed on a shorter trailer with lighter weight tow
vehicle

82

41
 Vision Benefits

1. Forward camera takes image of non deflected region

2. RWD moves forward so that same region of pavement is under load
3. Camera 2 takes picture of deflected area (and some undeflected area)
4. Images undergo stereo-pair analyses to compute complete deflection
Image 2 (same location as image 1, but under load)

Deflected Area

83

Vision Image Processing

Pixels 76 inches
Inches

x
Pixels

96 inches

RWD-Vision RWD-Vision deflection

deflection profile along wheel path
29.2 in
measurements centerline
(in camera RWD-Vision
images) deflection contour
(on pavement surface)
Area = 0.4 m2

84

42
 Vision Method

1. Forward camera takes image of non deflected region

2. RWD moves forward so that same region of pavement is under load
3. Camera 2 takes picture of deflected area (and some undeflected area)
4. Images undergo stereo-pair analyses to compute complete deflection
Image 1 (undeflected pavement)

Undeflected Area

85

Use and Cost of Deflection

Measurement Equipment
 Determines structural capacity of the pavement and
remaining life

 Identifies structural improvement strategies

 Locates areas for local repairs

 Cost depends on pavement type and frequency of

testing

 Excluding mobilization/demobilization, typical cost is $5

to $10 per test point

86

43
 Magnetic Imaging Tools

 Magnetic imaging tools emit and detect magnetic fields

 Anymetallic objects within proximity of the scan unit are
identified and can be measured
 Uses the principal of magnetic imaging tomography
 Applications include:
 Measuring lift thickness
 Spatial location of dowel bars

87

MIT Scan-T (lift thickness)

88

44
 How it Works

 Machine
placed on
rails

 Dowel bar
size and
depth of
concrete
programmed
into MIT
Scanner

89

MIT Scan-2 (Dowel Bar

Location and Alignment

90

45
 Misalignment Convention

Too Close

Joint Joint

Plan View

Too Far Angled Bars

Dowel Bar Spacing Horizontal Misalignment

91

Misalignment Convention

Joint

Joint

Plan View Side View

Bars not Uniform

Across the Joint Cross Section

Side Shift Vertical Misalignment

92

46
 Typical Photographs

93

Typical Photographs

94

47
 Use and Cost of Magnetic
Imaging Tomography
 Determines thickness of bound and unbound pavement
layers (no coring)

 Evaluates
in-situ dowel bar alignment for concrete
pavements

 Cost depends on pavement type and frequency of

testing

 Excludingmobilization/demobilization, typical cost is $5

to $15 per scan

95

Ground Penetrating Radar

96

48
 GPR Results

Antenna

Direct Coupling

Ground Coupling

Layer Interface

Layer Interface

Reflections are produced when the pulse encounters a material with

different dielectric constant
Dielectric Constant: Air = 1 Asphalt = 3-5 Concrete = 6-8

97

GPR Results
Surface

Comma Delimited ASCII file, for

importing into any software

Bottom of Original
Asphalt
Recent Overlay

98

49
 Subsurface Layering

Station (m)
25000 25200 25400 25600 25800 26000
0
Thickness (mm)

500

1000

1500
Bottom of Asphalt Bottom of Granular

99

Concealed Asphalt Patch in

Composite Pavement

100

50
 Culvert Crossing and Frost
Tapers

101

Evaluation of Asphalt
Density

102

51
 Correlation of Dielectric
Constant with Asphalt Cores

2.400 2.400

2.350
y = 0.3247x + 0.5849 2.350
R² = 0.7936
2.300
2.300
y = 0.3413x + 0.5758
Core Gmb

Core Gmb
2.250
R² = 0.8917
2.250
2.200

2.150 2.200

2.100 2.150

2.050 2.100
4.600 4.800 5.000 5.200 5.400 5.600
4.600 4.800 5.000 5.200 5.400
GPR Dielectric
GPR Dielectric
Low Density Medium Density High Density Low Density Medium Density High Density
2.400

2.380

2.360

2.340
y = 0.1645x + 1.5165
Core Gmb

R² = 0.8437
2.320

2.300

2.280

2.260

2.240

SR 222 Results
2.220
4.400 4.600 4.800 5.000 5.200 5.400
GPR Dielectric
Low Density Medium Density High Density

103

Other GPR Uses – Cupolex

Pavement

104

52
 Crack Pattern on Surface

105

Subsurface “Slices”

3.5 in 5 in
Depth Depth

106

53
 Use and Cost of Ground
Penetrating Radar
 Determines thickness of bound and unbound pavement
layers

 Ability
to locate and identify underground utilities and
other objects

 Cost depends on pavement type and frequency of

testing (comparable with other NDT methods)

107

What’s Next

 Useof single or crowd-sourced dash camera video for

pavement condition assessment

 Google Earth or Streetview type image analysis

 Cell
phone accelerometer based smoothness
assessment

 Drone video and Lidar (airports and roadways)

 Smart sensors in pavements to detect real time

deterioration of the pavement surface

108

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