Pavement Design I

From wheel load to layer thickness. Build the figure, draw the gear, follow the stress path down to the subgrade — then work each homework with the tool that was written for it, as the semester reaches it.

Online tools
2 live of 20
Homeworks
0 released of 10
Textbook chapters
13 + 7
Instructor
Imad L. Al-Qadi
The semester, homework by homework

Ten assignments, one structure

The course is organized around its homeworks. Each one pairs the assignment with the textbook chapters behind it and the tools you need to solve it — from surface distresses down to the subgrade, and back up through design.

  1. HW1

    Pavement Types, Layers & Distresses

    What the layers of flexible and rigid pavements do, how mechanistic-empirical design works, and how pavements fail — pumping, rutting, and the damage done by different axles and tire pressures.

    Fundamentals Coming soon
  2. HW2

    Subgrade & Material Characterization

    Fit the generalized resilient modulus model to triaxial data, evaluate subgrade strength with the CBR test, and review lime stabilization of weak soils.

    Materials Coming soon
  3. HW3

    Stresses in Layered Systems

    Stresses, strains, and deflections in one-, two-, and three-layer systems under a circular load, using the classic Boussinesq and Burmister charts and tables.

    Analysis Coming soon
  4. HW4

    Multilayer Elastic Analysis

    Analyze a four-layer structure under a 720 kPa, 145 mm circular load with a layered-elastic program (e.g., WinJULEA), plot the response profiles with depth, and interpret each layer.

    Analysis Coming soon
  5. HW5

    Traffic Loading & Volume

    Design traffic in ESALs: load equivalency factors, truck factors, growth, and lane distribution — converting mixed traffic into the single number that drives thickness design.

    Loads & Drainage Coming soon
  6. HW6

    Drainage Design

    Estimate inflow, size the permeable base, and check filter criteria — with FHWA’s DRIP software as a check on hand calculations.

    Loads & Drainage Coming soon
  7. HW7

    AASHTO Flexible Pavement Design

    The AASHTO 1993 flexible design procedure end to end: structural number, layer and drainage coefficients, reliability, and the design nomographs.

    Design Coming soon
  8. HW8

    Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Design

    An IDOT-style mechanistic design for a rural four-lane highway, then a WinJULEA sublayered analysis feeding AASHTOWare transfer functions to predict fatigue cracking and rutting versus load repetitions.

    Design Coming soon
  9. HW9

    Rigid Pavement Design

    Concrete pavements: curling stresses, Westergaard edge and corner loading, joint design, and the rigid design procedures of Chapter 12.

    Design Coming soon
  10. HW10

    Airfield Pavements & Life-Cycle Assessment

    Check runway ACR/PCR compatibility for a B747-400 and design an airfield section with FAARFIELD; then run a full pavement life-cycle assessment to find the stage that dominates GHG emissions.

    Design Coming soon