ABSTRACT
The concept of perpetual pavement is a pavement structure able to withstand almost infinite number of axle loads without structural deterioration. It is known that deterioration of these pavements initiates in the pavement surface as unevenness and cracking in the surfacing, i.e. wearing course. This is due to the fact that the life expectancy of asphalt concrete surfacing is much shorter than that of the overall pavement structure. The general rule is to rehabilitate the surfacing before the deterioration impacts the structural integrity of the pavement. The prerequisite for finding an optimal time and rehabilitation technology is to know the life cycle of the asphalt concrete surfacing, i.e. predicting material fatigue, structural damage and economical aspects of the rehabilitation. Proactive surfacing rehabilitation performed at optimal time will extend the service life of the surfacing at investment cost that ensure the most value for money. This article describes a methodology which consists of analytical calculations based on material research, experimental measurements of pavement life cycle through the means of accelerated pavement testing, and optimization based on net present value of rehabilitation scenarios.
