ABSTRACT

This study presents a hybrid performance-based QC/QA procedure for flexible airfield pavements. The procedure, illustrated through a case study involving a recently constructed airfield pavement, employs a combination of laboratory testing protocols and mechanistic-empirical analysis. Dynamic modulus testing is conducted on collected specimens, whereby resulting |E*| mastercurves are used to predict asphalt rutting and fatigue cracking at the end of the pavement’s design service life. A methodology is followed to convert aircraft traffic to equivalent highway ESALs (EHEs) for rutting and fatigue cracking predictions that are then used for acceptance and payment adjustment formulations. Finally, the paper also discusses the proposed use of effective |E*| as a performance-based criterion for QC/QA purposes.