Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of Sustainable Technologies in Flexible Pavements Using the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
by Samuel B. Cooper, III, (Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State Univ., 3504 Patrick Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. E-mail: scoop15@lsu.edu), Mostafa Elseifi, M.ASCE, (Lloyd Guillory Distinguished Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State Univ., 3504 Patrick Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. E-mail: elseifi@lsu.edu), Louay N. Mohammad, (corresponding author), M.ASCE, (Irma Louise Rush Stewart Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Director, Engineering Materials Characterization Research Facility, Louisiana Transportation Research Center, Louisiana State Univ., 4101 Gourrier Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70808. E-mail: louaym@lsu.edu), and Marwa Hassan, (Performance Contractors Distinguished Assistant Professor, Dept. of Construction Management, Louisiana State Univ., 3130A Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. E-mail: marwa@lsu.edu)
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 24, No. 2, February 2012, pp. 239-247, (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000376)
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| Document type: |
Journal Paper |
| Abstract: |
Past studies evaluated the mechanistic properties, economic benefits, and ecological impacts of sustainable asphalt mixtures. However, questions remain concerning the effects of these technologies on structural pavement design and performance. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of selected sustainable technologies [warm-mix asphalt (WMA), reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), crumb rubber modifier (CRM), and sulfur additive] on the performance predicted by the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) software and to assess the life-cycle costs (LCC) of pavement structures constructed with these sustainable alternatives. This study also determined if the MEPDG software is sensitive to variation in the mechanistic properties of asphalt mixtures containing selected sustainable technologies. Three typical pavement structures were analyzed at three traffic levels (low, medium, and high). On the basis of the results of this analysis, it was determined that the performance predicted by the MEPDG software was improved because of the use of sustainable mixtures. In addition, results indicated that sustainable technologies have the potential to reduce production and LCCs compared with conventional asphalt mixtures. |
| Author Keywords: | 
| Sustainable |
| MEPDG |
| WMA |
| RAP |
| Sulfur additive |
| Crumb rubber modifier |
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