A change in approach

摘要

Asphalt pavements have traditionally been designed using empirical design methods, with the types of materials used and the thicknesses of the different structural layers selected according to set design criteria.rnHowever, in recent years, efforts have been increasing worldwide to develop mechanistic approaches. Such approaches evaluate the stresses and strains at critical points in the structure of the pavement. The theory is that knowing the values of these stresses and strains enables the pavement's service life to be estimated more accurately than is possible with the more traditional design approaches.