Flexible Pavement Design Suitable for Sudan

Abstract

Pavement design is the process of calculation the thickness of pavement layers which can withstand the expected traffic load over the design life without deteriorating. In another word, it is providing a pavement structure in which stresses on the subgrade are reduced to the acceptable magnitude. Highways in Sudan deteriorate in the first years of construction due to many reasons including the deficiency in pavement design. This research aims to minimize the probability of roads failure by selecting the appropriate pavement design method for Sudan based on the performance evaluation of each method. Various pavement sections with different environment, traffic loading, subgrade and material properties were designed using AASHTO, Road Note 31, Group Index and CBR design method. The layered elastic analysis and the structural number approach were adopted to evaluate the performance of these sections. The evaluation results were the base for selecting of the suitable design method. The evaluation results concludes that, the AASHTO design method is the most suitable design method to withstand pavement deformations followed by Road Note 31 method. But, from economical prospective Road Note 31 method; with some modifications; can be considered as the suitable design method for Sudan. Recommendations for future studies focus on the development and implementation of mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide applicable in Sudan.