Use of mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide for bituminous pavements in India

India follows mechanistic-empirical method of pavement design stipulated in IRC: 37-2012. Here, the pavement structure consists of two layers of bituminous mixtures laid on three layers of granular materials. Distress criteria in terms of allowable rutting and fatigue cracking for various reliability levels are specified. In this investigation, two National Highways in India were chosen such that they have different maximum and minimum air temperatures. Using the axle load data available for these stretches, the pavement cross-sections were designed as per IRC: 37-2012 for a design life of 10 years. This design cross-section was simulated for various design scenarios using the approach stipulated in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (M-EPDG). The simulations were carried out for various traffic, climate, and bituminous layer thicknesses. The performance measures that were monitored include bituminous layer rutting, total pavement rutting and bottom-up cracking.