Development of a computer model to analyze and evaluate flexible pavement distresses of roads

Abstract

There are many methods to treat road distress. These methods need very intelligent people interested in road maintenance to select the most suitable treatment for each road distress. Roads must be designed and implemented according to specifications and standards. A road maintenance program is then developed to preserve roads from any distress, provide road safety and speed, and save road lifetime. The selection of a suitable distress treatment represents a major issue for people interested in road maintenance. Many factors, such as distress type and severity, control the distress treatment selection. In Egypt, no software program helps those interested in road maintenance choose the best ways to treat the distress of flexible pavement roads. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a model for handling the distress of flexible pavement roads, identify their severity, and propose the best ways to treat them. The model also enables the user to draw the road segments with their coordinates and cross-section, display any number of distresses on the segments, draw the distresses on the drawn road segments with specified colors, calculate the total cost to treat the distress and identify the road condition according to the pavement condition index (PCI).