Author Description

This research developed a decision-making process that can be used by INDOT to enhance identification of the condition of the underlying concrete joints or cracks by looking at the surface distresses of the asphalt overlay in composite pavements. In order to achieve the research objective, several tasks were performed during the research including literature reviews, data collection, and data analysis. In conjunction with the developed decision-making process, this study also developed a databased to organize the collected data and a computer application to not only increase the accessibility of INDOT field engineers to the sample data but also to improve the analysis process by providing better visualization tools.The data collection was performed based on four steps of field evaluation procedure (visual inspection of asphalt overlay, FWD testing, Coring, and visual inspection of exposed concrete). The collected data was analyzed to show distribution of joint and mid-panel cracks, and correlation between asphalt crack severity and concrete crack severity. Four input factors from the analyzed data (visual inspection of asphalt overlay, D1, LTE, and Resilient Modulus) were selected to develop the decision-making tool.A handbook is also provided to help INDOT field engineers' decision-making during their field activities. The handbook contains important information of pavements, photographs of cracks, and the exposed concrete condition of sample data points for the benefit of field engineers. Recommendations and limitations are also discussed in this report.