ABSTRACT
The analysis was performed under a stochastic framework and the results included pavement reliability considerations.
3 SWCC HYSTERESIS
The SWCC hysteresis curves are shown in Figure 1. The two main hysteresis curves, the primary drying (2) and primary wetting (3) curves, are called the
1 INTRODUCTION
The MEPDG is one of the first analysis tools for pavement engineers that incorporates unsaturated soil mechanics into the pavement design via the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM). The EICM uses climatic conditions and soil properties of the design location to estimate equilibrium soil suction values by using the TMI-Matric Suction model (Witczak et al., 2006). The soil matric suction is then used to estimate the water content at equilibrium condition by making use of the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) models. This procedure yields an environmental factor, which is, in simple terms, the normalized moisture content to the as-constructed moisture content, usually at optimum conditions. The environmental factor is then applied to the resilient modulus at optimum condition, which yields the modulus used in the prediction of important pavement distresses such as permanent deformations or rutting.
