Pavement design requires an understanding of subgrade soils, climate, drainage, material properties, and anticipated traffic loading. AMS’ engineers combine a strong background in geotechnical engineering, pavement materials, and pavement design with a working knowledge of climate and drainage and the ability to work with traffic engineers and modelers to obtain the necessary inputs to design new or rehabilitate existing pavements.
AMS has designed or evaluated pavements for airfields, interstate highways, primary routes, urban collectors, ports, industrial haul roads and racetracks, often as part of design-build teams. AMS utilizes a number of different methodologies depending on the requirements of the design including such examples as:
Long-life or perpetual pavements are designed in a manner to eliminate bottom-up fatigue cracking, such that the pavement should only require periodic resurfacing. This procedure is cost effective on a life-cycle basis and is a more sustainable design practice. Dr. Prowell was Co-Principal Investigator for NCHRP 9-38, “Endurance Limit of Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures to Prevent Fatigue Cracking in Flexible Pavements.” Selecting an endurance limit is an important component of perpetual pavement design.
AMS’ engineers are familiar with a number of techniques for assessing the structural capacity of existing pavements, either for overlay design purposes or forensic analyses. AMS can develop falling-weight deflectometer (FWD) and coring programs and use the field data to backcalculate the capacity/properties of the existing pavement structure using a number of analysis procedures such as Evercalc or ModTag. We have a dynamic cone penetrometer to assist in evaluating subgrade and other unbound materials. We can provide recommendations for mitigating reflective cracking when overlaying concrete pavements, including designs for rubblized pavements. We have significant knowledge in materials to specify constructable pavement.
AMS has designed or evaluated pavements for airfields, interstate highways, primary routes, urban collectors, ports, industrial haul roads and racetracks, often as part of design-build teams. AMS utilizes a number of different methodologies depending on the requirements of the design including such examples as:
- AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design (AMS maintains a license)
- Waterways Experiment Station Layered-Elastic Analysis (WESLEA)
- PerRoad
- FAARFIELD
- PCASE
- 1993 AASHTO Pavement Design Guide
Long-life or perpetual pavements are designed in a manner to eliminate bottom-up fatigue cracking, such that the pavement should only require periodic resurfacing. This procedure is cost effective on a life-cycle basis and is a more sustainable design practice. Dr. Prowell was Co-Principal Investigator for NCHRP 9-38, “Endurance Limit of Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures to Prevent Fatigue Cracking in Flexible Pavements.” Selecting an endurance limit is an important component of perpetual pavement design.
AMS’ engineers are familiar with a number of techniques for assessing the structural capacity of existing pavements, either for overlay design purposes or forensic analyses. AMS can develop falling-weight deflectometer (FWD) and coring programs and use the field data to backcalculate the capacity/properties of the existing pavement structure using a number of analysis procedures such as Evercalc or ModTag. We have a dynamic cone penetrometer to assist in evaluating subgrade and other unbound materials. We can provide recommendations for mitigating reflective cracking when overlaying concrete pavements, including designs for rubblized pavements. We have significant knowledge in materials to specify constructable pavement.
