Guidelines for PCC inputs to AASHTOWare Pavement ME.

PDFTech ReportFHWA/MS-DOT-RD-14-260SPR-1(66)106461-180000Portland cement concreteMechanistic-empirical pavement designSoftwareMix designLaboratory testsAggregatesPavement distressGuidelinesMississippiMississippi. Dept. of TransportationRao, ChetanaRao Research and Consulting, LLCUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe objective of this research study was to develop guidelines for portland cement concrete (PCC) material inputs to theAASHTOWare Pavement ME Design program. The AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design is the software program used by theMississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to develop pavement design alternatives based on the mechanistic-empiricalpavement design guide (MEPDG) procedure originally developed under National Cooperative Highway Research Program(NCHRP) Projects 1-37A, 1-40D, and 20-07/Task 288 & 327. MDOT has conducted several research projects to support theimplementation of the MEPDG and for increasing the accuracy of the distress prediction models calibrated for local conditionsand material sources. The current project focuses on PCC material inputs that represent the mix designs, cementitiousmaterials, and the aggregate sources that will be used in future paving projects.This report provides a summary of laboratory test results of 20 mix designs that include five different aggregate sources and fourdifferent options for supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) for partial cement replacement. The laboratory test resultsrepresent level 1 and 2 PCC material inputs and report the flexural strength, compressive strength, elastic modulus, poisson\ue2\u20ac\u2122sratio, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and percent length change measurements. Strength and modulus data, arereported for 7, 14, 28, and 90 days as required by the MEPDG. The CTE measurements are reported at 28-days, while theshrinkage length change measurements are reported for ages of 7, 11,14, 21, 35, 63, 119, and 231 days. Level 2 correlationequations were developed based on compressive strength and other index properties to estimate flexural strength and elasticmodulus. In general, these models demonstrate a slight deviation from the default level 2 models used in the global calibrationof the MEPDG. Level 2 equations were also developed for each aggregate type and it is recommended that future efforts byMDOT for the recalibration of the rigid pavement distress prediction models should examine the sensitivity of these level 2correlation equations and provide recommendations in the MDOT Design Manual