A Comprehensive Investigation of Pavement Evaluation Through Field and Laboratory and Prioritization

The structural and functional aspects of a pavement must be regularly evaluated because this improves the pavement’s functionality and riding quality Field samples tested in the lab would improve the pavement evaluation process. This article’s aim is to evaluate the selected pavement sections from field and laboratory studies for maintenance priority. In order to determine the importance of pavement maintenance, a study was carried out in the Hyderabad city along the National Highway (NH 44). Both functional and structural elements were considered. For the purpose of functional evaluation, distress parameters, road roughness, and skid resistance were factored in. The structural performance considers deflection measurement on the pavement sections and pavement performance results of field samples. 100 mm and 150 mm wide core samples were collected on study sections, for the assessment of moisture sensitivity, tensile strength, stiffness, and fracture properties. The investigation's findings demonstrate that there relates a high correlation between structural and functional parameters. Additionally, the study attempted to develop a Maintenance Priority Index (MPI), which is mostly based on the structural and functional parameters of field and laboratory results. The use of artificial neural network has helped in pavement maintenance priority. The findings of this study shall help the maintenance engineer for prioritization of pavement sections of similar categories.