Composite Pavement Virginia Tech 09 Cr2

FINAL
CONTRACT REPORT
VTRC 09-CR2
COMPOSITE PAVEMENT SYSTEMS:

SYNTHESIS OF DESIGN
AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES
GERARDO W. FLINTSCH, Ph.D., P.E.

Director
Center for Safe and Sustainable Infrastructure
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
BRIAN K. DIEFENDERFER, Ph.D., P.E.

Research Scientist
Virginia Transportation Research Council
ORLANDO NUNEZ
Graduate Research Assistant
http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/09-cr2.pdf
Standard Title Page - Report on Federally Funded Project
1. Report No.: 2. Government Accession No.: 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.:
FHWA/VTRC 09-CR2
4. Title and Subtitle: 5. Report Date:
Composite Pavement Systems: Synthesis of Design and Construction Practices November 2008
6. Performing Organization Code:
7. Author(s): 8. Performing Organization Report No.:

Gerardo W. Flintsch, Ph.D., P.E., Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E., and Orlando VTRC 09-CR2
Nunez
9. Performing Organization and Address: 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS):
3500 Transportation Research Plaza 11. Contract or Grant No.:
Blacksburg, VA 24061 85414
12. Sponsoring Agencies’ Name and Address: 13. Type of Report and Period Covered:
Virginia Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Final Contract
1401 E. Broad Street 400 North 8th Street, Room 750 14. Sponsoring Agency Code:
Richmond, VA 23219 Richmond, VA 23219-4825
15. Supplementary Notes:
16. Abstract:
Composite pavement systems have shown the potential for becoming a cost-effective pavement alternative for highways
with high and heavy traffic volumes, especially in Europe. This study investigated the design and performance of composite
pavement structures composed of a flexible layer (top-most layer) over a rigid base. The report compiles (1) a literature review
of composite pavement systems in the U.S. and worldwide; (2) an evaluation of the state-of-the-practice in the U.S. obtained
using a survey; (3) an investigation of technical aspects of various alternative composite pavement systems designed using
available methodologies and mechanistic-empirical pavement distress models (fatigue, rutting, and reflective cracking); and (4) a
preliminary life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to study the feasibility of the most promising composite pavement systems.
Composite pavements, when compared to traditional flexible or rigid pavements, have the potential to become a cost-
effective alternative because they may provide better levels of performance, both structurally and functionally, than the
traditional flexible and rigid pavement designs. Therefore, they can be viable options for high volume traffic corridors.
Countries, such as the U.K. and Spain, which have used composite pavement systems in their main road networks, have reported
positive experiences in terms of functional and structural performance. Composite pavement structures can provide long-life
pavements that offer good serviceability levels and rapid, cost-effective maintenance operations, which are highly desired,
especially for high-volume, high-priority corridors.
Composite pavements mitigate various structural and functional problems that typical flexible or rigid pavements tend to
present, such as hot-mix asphalt (HMA) fatigue cracking, subgrade rutting, portland cement concrete (PCC) erosion, and PCC
loss of friction, among others. At the same time, though, composite systems are potentially more prone to other distresses, such
as reflective cracking and rutting within the HMA layer. Premium HMA surfaces and/or reflective cracking mitigation
techniques may be required to mitigate these potential problems.
At the economic level, the results of the deterministic agency-cost LCCA suggest that the use of a composite pavement
with a cement-treated base (CTB) results in a cost-effective alternative for a typical interstate traffic scenario. Alternatively, a
composite pavement with a continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) base may become more cost-effective for very
high volumes of traffic. Further, in addition to savings in agency cost, road user cost savings could also be important, especially
for the HMA over CRCP composite pavement option because it would not require any lengthy rehabilitation actions, as is the
case for the typical flexible and rigid pavements.
17 Key Words: 18. Distribution Statement:

composite pavement, pavement type selection, semi-rigid No restrictions. This document is available to the public
pavement, mechanistic evaluation through NTIS, Springfield, VA 22161.
19. Security Classif. (of this report): 20. Security Classif. (of this page): 21. No. of Pages: 22. Price:
Unclassified Unclassified 58
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FINAL CONTRACT REPORT

SYNTHESIS OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES
Gerardo W. Flintsch, Ph.D., P.E.

Director, Center for Safe and Sustainable Infrastructure
Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.

Research Scientist
Orlando Nunez
Project Manager: Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.
Contract Research Sponsored by

the Virginia Transportation Research Council

(A partnership of the Virginia Department of Transportation
And the university of Virginia since 1948)
In Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration
Charlottesville, Virginia
November 2008
VTRC 09-CR2
DISCLAIMER
The project that is the subject of this report was done under contract for the Virginia
Department of Transportation, Virginia Transportation Research Council. The contents of this
report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the
data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the
Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal
Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes
only and is not to be considered and endorsement.
Each contract report is peer reviewed and accepted for publication by Research Council
staff with expertise in related technical areas. The contractor performs final editing and
proofreading of the report.
Copyright 2008 by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

All rights reserved.
ii
ABSTRACT
Composite pavement systems have shown the potential for becoming a cost-effective
pavement alternative for highways with high and heavy traffic volumes, especially in Europe.
This study investigated the design and performance of composite pavement structures composed
of a flexible layer (top-most layer) over a rigid base. The report compiles (1) a literature review
of composite pavement systems in the U.S. and worldwide; (2) an evaluation of the state-of-the-
practice in the U.S. obtained using a survey; (3) an investigation of technical aspects of various
alternative composite pavement systems designed using available methodologies and
mechanistic-empirical pavement distress models (fatigue, rutting, and reflective cracking); and
(4) a preliminary life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to study the feasibility of the most promising
composite pavement systems.
Composite pavements, when compared to traditional flexible or rigid pavements, have the
potential to become a cost-effective alternative because they may provide better levels of
performance, both structurally and functionally, than the traditional flexible and rigid pavement
designs. Therefore, they can be viable options for high volume traffic corridors. Countries, such
as the U.K. and Spain, which have used composite pavement systems in their main road
networks, have reported positive experiences in terms of functional and structural performance.
Composite pavement structures can provide long-life pavements that offer good serviceability
levels and rapid, cost-effective maintenance operations, which are highly desired, especially for
high-volume, high-priority corridors.
Composite pavements mitigate various structural and functional problems that typical
flexible or rigid pavements tend to present, such as hot-mix asphalt (HMA) fatigue cracking,
subgrade rutting, portland cement concrete (PCC) erosion, and PCC loss of friction, among
others. At the same time, though, composite systems are potentially more prone to other
distresses, such as reflective cracking and rutting within the HMA layer. Premium HMA
surfaces and/or reflective cracking mitigation techniques may be required to mitigate these
potential problems.
At the economic level, the results of the deterministic agency-cost LCCA suggest that the
use of a composite pavement with a cement-treated base (CTB) results in a cost-effective
alternative for a typical interstate traffic scenario. Alternatively, a composite pavement with a
continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) base may become more cost-effective for
very high volumes of traffic. Further, in addition to savings in agency cost, road user cost
savings could also be important, especially for the HMA over CRCP composite pavement option
because it would not require any lengthy rehabilitation actions, as is the case for the typical
flexible and rigid pavements.
iii
FINAL CONTRACT REPORT

SYNTHESIS OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES
Gerardo W. Flintsch, Ph.D., P.E.

Director, Center for Safe and Sustainable Infrastructure
Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.

Research Scientist
Orlando Nunez
INTRODUCTION
Transportation agencies and the road building industry have traditionally designed and
constructed two pavement types, flexible and rigid. The selection of which type to use is often
based on a pavement type selection (PTS) process to decide the best pavement alternative for a
particular project. This process helps pavement engineers determine the most cost-effective
pavement type capable of supporting anticipated traffic under existing environmental conditions
and providing safety and driving comfort to the traveling public (VDOT, 2001).
Composite pavement systems have shown good potential for becoming a cost-effective
pavement alternative for high volume roadways (Nunn et al., 1997; Nunn, 2004). There are
several types of composite pavement structures; however, in this study, a composite structure is
defined as a multi-layer structure where there is a flexible layer (top-most layer) over a rigid
layer. The flexible (asphalt concrete) layer (e.g., dense-graded hot-mix asphalt [HMA], stone
matrix asphalt [SMA], open-graded friction course [OGFC], etc.) provides a smooth, safe, and
quiet driving surface, whereas the rigid layer (e.g., cement-treated base [CTB], roller-compacted
concrete [RCC], continuously reinforced concrete pavement [CRCP], etc.) provides a stiff and
strong base. This high modulus rigid base tends to change the traditional pavement concept in
which the layers’ moduli decrease as depth increases. In composite structures, the stiffness of
the base (rigid layer) is greater than that of the surface layer (flexible layer).
Composite structures are also known as semi-rigid or flexible composite structures in

other countries. These pavements have been widely used in roads where there is a high traffic
volume (50+ million equivalent single axle loads [ESALs]), heavily loaded trucks (which
translates to high ESALs), and the designer seeks long-life pavements with minimum
rehabilitation (such as replacement of the wearing surface) (Nunn, 2004; Jofre and Fernandez,
2004).
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This project was designed to provide the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
with a synthesis of current information regarding composite pavement systems. This report
compiles (1) a literature review of composite pavement systems in the U.S. and worldwide, (2)
an evaluation of the state-of-the-practice in the U.S. obtained through a survey, (3) an
investigation of technical aspects of composite pavement systems using mechanistic analysis and
mechanistic-empirical pavement distress models (fatigue, rutting, and reflective cracking), and
(4) a study of the feasibility of composite pavement systems through a life cycle cost analysis
(LCCA).
METHODS
This study consisted of four steps: the first step consisted of a literature review of
composite pavement systems in the U.S. and worldwide, the second step included a survey of
state pavement design engineers from state DOT’s, the third step used mechanistic-empirical
pavement distress models to study the response of composite pavement systems, and the final
step investigated the feasibility of composite pavement systems by a life cycle cost analysis.
Literature Review
The literature review portion of this study was performed using available electronic
databases including: Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) bibliographic
database, the catalog of Transportation Libraries (TLCat), the Catalog of Worldwide Libraries
(WorldCat), the Transportation Research Board Research in Progress (RiP) and Research Needs
Statements (RNS) databases.
Survey
A web-based survey was emailed to state DOT pavement design engineers during
February 2008. Responses were received from 34 state agencies; 11 of which have experience
designing composite pavement structures.
Mechanistic and Mechanistic-Empirical Evaluation
Mechanistic analysis of various composite pavement structures was performed using

software assuming both non-linear and linear-elastic pavement behavior. The software allowed
for the pavement behavior to be analyzed. In addition, empirical-based deterioration models
were used to assess the anticipated condition of the analyzed structures.
2
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis
A life-cycle cost analysis was performed, following VDOT guidelines, to evaluate the
feasibility of composite pavement systems and to estimate their cost-effectiveness.
BACKGROUND
Composite pavements have been studied for many years. They are known as semi-rigid
pavement structures (NCHRP, 2004), premium composite pavements (Von Quintus, 1979;
Hudson and Roberts, 1981), long-life pavements (Nunn et al., 1997), and flexible composite
pavements (Nunn, 2004).
A composite pavement structure is defined as a structure comprising two or more layers

that combine different characteristics and that act as one composite material (Smith, 1963). The
two most commonly used materials that compose this composite structure are a flexible layer
(e.g., HMA) and a rigid layer (e.g., PCC, cement-treated base [CTB], cement stabilized base
[CSB], rolled-compacted concrete [RCC], or lean mix concrete). There is no single definition
applicable to composite pavements because an HMA overlay on a CTB can be considered a
composite pavement; likewise, a thin PCC overlay on an HMA layer, known as whitetopping,
has also been considered a composite pavement. Furthermore, a PCC surface layer applied on
top of another PCC layer before the bottom layer has set may be considered a composite “wet on
wet” pavement. In this study, the composite pavement system investigated was a rigid base
overlaid with a flexible layer as shown in example cross-sections in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Typical Cross-sections of Composite Pavements
Composite pavements, when compared to traditional flexible or rigid pavements, have

the potential to provide better levels of performance both structurally and functionally (technical
aspects) while being an economically viable alternative to the traditional flexible and rigid
3
pavement designs (economic aspect). Some of the general benefits that composite pavements
can provide are (Donald, 2003; Jofre and Fernandez, 2004; Nunn, 2004):
• Strong support to the flexible layer provided by the rigid base layer
• Good levels of the rideability of the pavement and driver comfort by providing a
smooth and quiet driving surface
• Adequate pavement surface friction properties
• Preservation of the structural integrity of the rigid base provided by an asphalt surface
layer, which can be periodically replaced
• Prevention of the intrusion of deicing salts and surface water to the rigid base due to
the protection provided by the asphalt layer
• Reduction of the temperature gradient in the rigid layer because of the insulation
provided by the overlying asphalt surface layer.
Potential Benefits
Donald (2003) discusses how the traditional heavy-duty pavement type is a thick asphalt
pavement placed on an unbound aggregate base and granular subbase course. This type of
conventional flexible pavement structure relies principally on the HMA for stiffness as the HMA
is the layer that provides the majority of the structural capacity. Therefore, tensile strains at the
bottom of the HMA layer need to be analyzed when designing a flexible pavement as shown in
Figure 2a. This means that the risk of fatigue cracking (flexural fatigue) that initiates at the
bottom of the HMA layer and propagates upward needs to be considered. In a composite
structure, as shown in Figure 2b, the critical strain location for flexural fatigue (tensile strain) is
shifted to a tensile stress location at the bottom of the rigid layer.
Figure 2. Shift in Critical Strain Location from a Typical Flexible Pavement (Left) to a Composite Pavement
(Right)
4
Past Performance (Literature Review)
Composite pavements have been implemented worldwide in the last few decades. In
Europe, composite pavements have been used extensively; countries such as Germany, France,
and Spain are known for their wide use of long-life semi-rigid structures in their main road
networks, which account for 30% to 50% of their highway systems (Thogersen et al., 2004).
The U.K. highway agencies have used two designs for their flexible composite
pavements for the past 20 years. The first design has a service life of up to 20,000,000
equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs) over 20 years and has a structure comprised of a lean
concrete base with a maximum thickness of 250 mm (10 in) surfaced with up to 150 mm (6 in)
of HMA. The second design is for service a life of more than 20,000,000 ESALs and consists of
a 200-mm thick HMA on top of a lean concrete base (Parry et al., 1997). The U.K. had, as of
1999, 649 km of composite pavements in their main road network, which had been constructed
between 1959 and 1987 and had carried between 8 and 97 million single-axle (MSA) loads. A
composite pavement performance study published by Parry et al. (1999) concluded that there
was considerable variability in the performance of these composite structures. In particular, the
required thickness of the asphalt overlays during maintenance was highly variable. The new U.K.
Pavement Design Guide includes a new section that deals with flexible composite pavement
design and that aims to design pavement structures for traffic levels of 100 MSA or more (U.K.,
2006).
A study by Merrill et al. (2006) reviewed the experiences of composite pavements in

Europe. The authors found that composite pavements from the U.K., the Netherlands, and
Hungary were performing satisfactorily in terms of rutting, cracking, and deflections. The
expected life of a semi-rigid pavement structure was found to be statistically longer than that of a
comparable flexible one. Semi-rigid structures with relatively thin layers (250 mm [10 in] total
thickness) performed satisfactorily for a long-life even under heavy traffic. Moreover, field
observations confirmed that composite structures tend to have longer lives (i.e., they may be
classified as long-life pavements).
There is a very wide use of composite pavements in Spain as documented by Jofre and
Fernandez (2004). Composite pavement structures in Spain are called semi-rigid pavements
because they do not tend to use a portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) as the base.
Instead they use different types of rigid bases that mainly differ from one another in the cement
content and aggregate type. The typical rigid base characterization presented by Jofre and
Fernandez is summarized in Table 1.
In the United States, composite pavements usually have been the result of PCCP
rehabilitation, consisting of HMA overlays on top of deteriorated rigid pavements and thus
creating a composite structure. This type of rehabilitation action has been used to restore the
functional performance of an existing pavement and/or to increase the structural capacity in
order to handle additional and heavier traffic. The performance of composite pavements may
vary due to different factors, such as design of the rigid base, selection of an adequate HMA type,
constructability, and maintainability. A study of composite pavements presented by Hein et al.
(2002) concluded that:
5
• The use of an open-graded HMA interlayer does not mitigate reflection cracking
• There is an early (3 to 5 years) deterioration due to reflective cracking on the HMA
from the underlying rigid layer’s discontinuities
• The pavement condition ratings based only on the HMA surface do not accurately
reflect the condition of the overall pavement structure and/or concrete base, e.g.,
faulting and spalling may be effectively hidden from view.
Table 1. Typical Properties of Rigid Bases Used in Spain
7-Day Compressive
Rigid Base Strength E-modulus Description
Soil-Cement > 2.5 MPaa 6,000 to 10,000 Granular material + cement content 3 to 7%
(> 360 psi) MPa
(870 to 1,450
ksi)b
Gravel-Cement > 4.5 MPa 20,000 MPa No fine material and a dense gradation
(> 650 psi) (2,900 ksi)
Gravel-Cement > 8 MPa 25,000 MPa Similar to gravel-cement, except for a higher
Type II (> 1,160 psi) (3,600 ksi) cement content 5 to 7%
Lean-Mix Compacted > 12 MPa 25,000 MPa Cement content 5 to 10%. Similar to the
Concrete (> 1,740 psi) (3,600 ksi) RCC in the U.S.
Compacted Concrete > 18 MPa 33,000 MPa Cement content 10 to 14%
(> 2,600 psi) (4,790 ksi)
a
1 MPa = 145.04 psi; b1 ksi = 1,000 psi
Composite Pavement Design
This section discusses the various methods currently in use to design composite pavement
structures.
AASHTO 1993 Guide
The 1993 AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures can be used to design two
different composite pavements: (1) a new flexible pavement with a cement-treated (or soil-
cement) base and (2) a rehabilitated PCC pavement using the section in the guide for the design
of AC overlays of PCC (both jointed plain concrete pavement [JPCP] and continuously
reinforced concrete pavement [CRCP]).
In the first alternative, it is critical to select a proper layer coefficient, a2, for the
stabilized base to use the flexible SN design equation:
SN = a1D1 + m 2 a 2 D 2 + m3a 3 D3 (1)

where
SN = structural number
a1, a2, a3 = layer coefficients
m2, m3 = drainage coefficients
D1, D2, D3 = thickness of each layer in inches (layer 1 = HMA, layer 2 = base, layer 3 =
subbase)
6
A study performed by Richardson (1996) provides a general equation that could be used
to determine the modulus, Ec, of various cemented materials (e.g., soil cement, cement-treated
bases, cement-stabilized soils) and with that, compute the layer coefficient a2. Once the
cemented material coefficient and all other needed parameters are obtained, the composite
structure can be designed.
E c = −34.367 + 2006.8 ( q u )
0.7784
(2)
a 2 = −2.7170 + 0.49711× Log ( E c ) (3)
where
Ec = chord modulus (MPa)

qu = unconfined compressive strength (MPa).
The second alternative for using the AASHTO 1993 guide is based on the procedure for
designing the rehabilitation of PCC pavements with an AC overlay. In this case, the first step is
to design a conventional PCC pavement, in other words, compute the thickness to satisfy the
future traffic demand, Df. Once the slab thickness has been obtained, it could be assumed that
placing an AC layer with a thickness of approximately 50 mm (2 in) would allow for the
decrease of 25 mm (1 in) of PCC layer. This is because the guide’s “AC Overlay of PCC
Pavement” procedure indicates that the required thickness, DOL, of an AC overlay of PCC is
calculated using the following equation:
DOL = A ( Df − Deff ) (4)
Where
A = factor to convert PCC thickness deficiency to AC overlay thickness

Df = slab thickness to carry future traffic (in)
Deff = effective thickness of existing slab (in).
Therefore, two assumptions are made. First, in a new composite pavement design, Deff is
equal to Df because it is appropriate to assume that a newly constructed PCCP would not have
any distress, thus none of the adjustment factors shown in Equation 5 would be applicable.
D eff = Fjc × Fdur × Ffat × D (5)
Where
D = original slab thickness (this would be equal to the thickness of the rigid base)
Fjc, Fdur, Ffat = adjustment factors for joints and cracks, durability, and fatigue = 1.
The second assumption involves the A factor from Equation 4. According to the guide,
the A factor is computed using the following equation:
7
A = 2.2233 + 0.0099 ( D f − D eff ) − 0.1534 ( D f − D eff )
2
(6)
Assuming that Df = Deff, a conservative value of A = 2.2233 would be obtained. Lower

A values, and consequently HMA thicknesses, may be obtained if using the actual Df and Deff
values. For example, a 150 mm (6 in) HMA layer is required to substitute an HMA thickness of
87.5 mm (3.5 in) of PCCP in the example considered in this report. Once the overlay thickness
is computed, it is typically rounded to the nearest 0.5 in.
U.S. Army and Air Force Design
The U.S. Department of Defense has developed a Pavement Design Manual for Roads,
Streets, and Open Storage Areas that includes a section for flexible pavements with stabilized
bases (UFC, 2004). Such structures would constitute a semi-rigid pavement when a CTB is used
underneath the HMA layer.
The pavement design software PCASE developed by the U.S. Army and Air Force for
airport pavements uses the procedure described in their guide that is based on an asphalt strain
criteria. Equation 7a is used to determine the limiting tensile strain at the bottom of the asphalt
layer (UFC, 2004):
Allowable Strain = ε AC = 10 − A (7a)
A=
N + 2.665 × Log E ( 14.22 ) + 0.392 (7b)
5
Where
N = log(coverage)
E = elastic modulus of asphalt concrete (psi).
Once the allowable strain is calculated, the allowable coverage of load repetitions is
approximated using the following equations:
Allowable Coverage = 10X (7c)

X = 5 × Log ( ε AC ) + 2.665 × Log E ( 14.22 ) + 0.392 (7d)
where
ε AC = allowable (tensile) strain.
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Design
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) includes a design procedure and

guidelines for new composite pavement design in its Pavement Design Guide published in 2002.
8
This agency defines a composite pavement as a structure consisting of an HMA surface course
overlaying a PCC slab of relatively high bending resistance that acts as the principal load-
distributing component of the pavement system (IDOT, 2002).
This comprehensive design methodology includes sections such as potential use of

composite pavements, minimum material requirements, design period, structural design, traffic
factors, subgrade requirements, performance graded (PG) binder selection, design reliability,
minimum design thickness, pre-adjusted slab thickness, slab thickness adjustments, and typical
sections.
The equation provided to compute the thickness of the new HMA overlay, DO, is the following:
SN C − 0.33 × D B
DO = (8)
0.40
Where
DO = thickness of HMA layer for new composite pavement (in)

SNC = composite pavement structural number (obtained from a nomograph in their guide)
DB = thickness of new PCC base course (in).
After the composite pavement design has been completed, it should be compared to the
minimum thickness and material requirements that are provided in the guide. Table 2 shows
these requirements.
Table 2. Minimum Thicknesses and Material Requirements for Composite Pavements

Structural Number (SNC) Minimum Thickness (in) Minimum Material
From To Surface & Binder Surface & Binder
< 2.50 2 SUPERPAVE with Low ESALs
2.51 -- 2.99 3 SUPERPAVE with Low ESALs
3.00 -- 3.49 3 SUPERPAVE (4% voids)
> 3.50 4 SUPERPAVE (4% voids)
U.K. Pavement Design Guide
The Highways Agency in the U.K. has extensive experience with composite pavement
specifications, design, construction, and testing. Composite pavements are commonly referred to
as “flexible composite pavements.” The design methodology and procedure used in the U.K.
Pavement Design Guide is based on the TRL Report 615 (Nunn, 2004).
The U.K. design method uses a nomograph to obtain two parameters: (1) the thickness of
the hydraulically bound material (HBM) base and (2) the flexible surfacing thickness on top of a
HBM base. First, the foundation stiffness (modulus of resilience) is categorized based on the
following ranges:
• Class 1 ≥ 50 MPa (7,252 psi)
9
• Class 2 ≥ 100 MPa (14,503 psi)
• Class 3 ≥ 200 MPa (29,007 psi)
• Class 4 ≥ 400 MPa (58,015 psi)
Second, the hydraulically bound base thickness is obtained as a function of the cement-
bound material (CBM) category described in Table 3.
The properties of the base materials are shown in Table 4. Once the thickness of the base
is obtained, the thickness of the asphalt layer can be obtained from Equation 9.
H asphalt = −16.05 × ( L og ( N ) ) + 101× L og ( N ) + 45.08

2
(9)
where
Hasphalt = asphalt thickness (mm) (for 50 MSA < N < 80 MSA)

N = cumulative traffic (MSA = million single axles = 1,000,000 ESALs).
Table 3. Design Thicknesses for CBM Base for More than 80,000,000 ESALs
Foundation Class
CBM Base Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4
50 MPa 100 MPa 200 MPa 400 MPa
(7,250 psi) (14,500 psi) (29,000 psi) (58,000 psi)
CBM3G 275 mm 250 mm 225 mm 200 mm
(10.8 in) (9.8 in) (8.9 in) (7.9 in)
CBM4G 220 mm 200 mm 180 mm 150 mm
(8.7 in) (7.9 in) (7.0 in) (5.9 in)
CBM5G 200 mm 180 mm 160 mm 150 mm
(7.9 in) (7.0 in) (6.3 in) (5.9 in)
CBM3R 220 mm 200 mm 180 mm 150 mm
(8.7 in) (7.9 in) (7.0 in) (5.9 in)
CBM4R 200 mm 180 mm 160 mm 150 mm
(7.9 in) (7.0 in) (6.3 in) (5.9 in)
CBM5R 165 mm 150 mm 150 mm 150 mm
(6.5 in) (5.9 in) (5.9 in) (5.9 in)
Table 4. Properties of CBM

CBM Minimum 7-day
Compressive Strength, MPa (psi)
CBM1 4.5 (653)
CBM2 7.0 (1,015)
CBM1A 10.0 (1,450)
CBM2A 10.0 (1,450)
CBM3R/G 10.0 (1,450)
CBM4R/G 15.0 (2,175)
CBM5R/G 20.0 (2,900)
10
The Danish Road Institute (Report 138)
In 2004, the Danish Road Institute published a mechanistic design guide for semi-rigid
pavements (Thogersen et al., 2004). This mechanistic guide was developed as a result of a
survey that showed the superior performance of pavements with CTB, especially on heavily
trafficked pavement sections. In order to understand the behavior of such pavements and
establish a mechanistic design, a full-scale test on six semi-rigid pavements (three different types,
each with two replications) was carried out. A generalized incremental-recursive model based
on tensile strain at the bottom of the CTB layer was chosen as the desired approach to verify the
deterioration model (Thogersen et al., 2004). The results were then compared to existing semi-
rigid pavements that had been in service for more than 20 years. The comparison of these results
showed that the deterioration model was accurate.
The study focused on the failure of the semi-rigid structure in terms of fatigue of the rigid
layer. The determining factor in the fatigue damage was the longitudinal (tensile) strain at the
bottom of the CTB layer. The investigation concluded that for their semi-rigid pavement
structure, at 75 percent confidence, the following deterministic design criterion should be used to
prevent fatigue failure of the structure:
( )
−0.12
ε PERMISSIBLE = 99μstr × N 6 (10)
10
where
ε PERMISSIBLE = maximum strain at bottom of CTB layer

-6
μstr = micro-strain (10 strain)
N = number of load repetitions (passes) to failure.
Once the mechanistic behavior of the semi-rigid structure was modeled, the criterion
constants were utilized to provide designs for various traffic volumes (Thogersen et al., 2004).
In the design table (Table 5), the load is represented as a dual-wheel load with 20 % dynamic
load additions as used in the new Danish design standards.
11
Table 5. Semi-rigid Pavement Design for the Danish Road Institute (Thogersen et al., 2004)
Layer Number of Equivalent 10-ton Axles (million)
0.2 0.5 1 2 5 10 20 50
Asphalt E = 2,500 MPa (362.6 ksi) 60 80
surface and (2.5) (3.5)
Thickness in mm (in)
binder
CTB with Allowable initial strain, μstr 65 57 51
Einitial =
12,000 MPa Required thickness, mm (in) 215 235 245
(8.5) (9.3) (9.6)
CTB with Allowable initial strain, μstr 75 69 62 57 52 47
Einitial =
16,000 MPa Required thickness, mm (in) 150 165 180 190 205 225
(5.9) (6.5) (7.1) (7.5) (8.0) (8.9)
Gravel base E = 300 MPa (43.5 ksi) Thickness 150 mm (5.9 in)
Subbase E = 100 MPa (14.5 ksi) Thickness minimum 200 mm (7.9 in)
Subgrade E = 40 MPa (5.8 ksi) -
Composite Pavement Performance
A composite pavement structure, throughout its service life, may develop different types
of distresses. The distresses that affect composite pavements, according to Von Quintus et al.
(1979), are very similar to those of flexible pavements because of the exposure that the asphalt
concrete layer has in the composite structure. The distresses may be grouped into three major
categories: fracture (cracking), distortion, and disintegration. All of the mentioned distresses
could potentially affect the performance and structural capacity of composite pavements.
However, the majority could be mitigated with a high-quality HMA mix, adequate overall
structural design, and appropriate constructive procedures.
Several research studies (Von Quintus, 1979; Smith et al., 1984; NCHRP, 2004) have
agreed that reflective cracking (also known as reflection cracking) is a major distress type in
composite pavements. Reflective cracks are cracks that occur in the asphalt surface course of the
composite pavement and that coincide with cracks with appreciable width or joints in the
underlying layer. They are caused by the relative horizontal and vertical movements of these
cracks or joints caused by temperature cycles and/or traffic loading.
Reflective cracks are undesirable in a composite pavement structure as they tend to

undergo a progressive width increase, permitting the leakage of surface water to the layer
beneath. This may cause raveling and disintegration of the asphalt surfacing adjacent to the
cracks (Breemen, 1963). When a crack has a considerable width, it acts as a joint and high stress
intensity is generated at this location. The contraction and expansion of the rigid layer tends to
open and close this “joint” causing a significant change in width; as a result, the tensile stresses
induced at the bottom of the HMA surface layer exceed the strength of the asphalt overlay and a
reflective crack is initiated.
12
When a chemically stabilized material (CSM) is used as the rigid base (e.g., CTB), drying
shrinkage during the curing period is a major cause for the cracking of the base. The reasons that
contribute to shrinkage cracking occurrence, which then lead to reflective cracks, include
material characteristics, construction procedures, traffic loading, and restraint imposed on the
base by the subgrade (Adaska and Luhr, 2004).
The proposed Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) mentions the

following points regarding the use of CSM base layers (NCHRP, 2004): (1) if there is an HMA
surface course (composite pavement scenario), any fatigue cracking in the CSM layer will result
in a fraction of the cracking reflected through the HMA layer; and (2) if a crack relief layer (e.g.,
unbound granular layer) is placed between the HMA and CSM layer, it is possible to minimize
or potentially eliminate reflective cracking through the HMA layer.
To mitigate and control reflective cracks, various methods and techniques could be used.
These include the use of crack relief layers, pre-cracking (microcracking) of the cemented base,
and use of geotextiles (paving fabrics) (Adaska and Luhr, 2004).
RESULTS
This section discusses the results of the state-of-the-practice survey and the technical and
economic analyses conducted. The technical analysis included a comparison of the different
design methodologies for composite pavement systems and modeling of typical distresses
affecting composite pavement systems. This modeling helped understand how the distresses
affected different composite structures as compared to traditional flexible pavements and among
themselves. The economic analysis consisted of a LCCA to investigate the cost implications at
both the initial construction stage and throughout the pavement service life. Four pavement
structures were considered: traditional flexible, traditional rigid, composite with CTB, and
composite with CRCP base.
State-of-the-Practice Survey
A web-based survey was distributed to all state pavement engineers to investigate the
extent of the use of composite pavements in the U.S. The survey questions are presented in
Appendix A and the results are shown in Appendix B. Responses, received from 34 state DOTs,
suggested that several agencies have composite pavements that are the result of an HMA overlay
of an in-service, and likely distressed, rigid pavement. In addition, three DOTs reported that
they had some degree of experience in designing and constructing new composite pavements
(i.e., composite pavements that did not result from an HMA overlay of a distressed concrete
pavement).
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) uses the AASHTO 1993
method to design composite pavements. Approximately 2% of their road network consists of
newly constructed composite pavements. These pavements typically consist of a dense-graded
HMA placed on a CTB. SCDOT uses a structural coefficient of 0.34/in for the cement-stabilized
aggregate base. In addition, a minimum base thickness of 150 mm (6 in) with a preferred
13
thickness of 200 mm (8 in) to 250 mm (10 in) is required due to the brittle nature of the material.
The typical cement content for the base course is 2% to 5% (by weight) with a 4.14 MPa (600
psi) compressive strength requirement at 14 days.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses their own FPS-19W software to
design new composite pavements and their network includes an estimated 4% of newly
constructed composite pavements. The composite structure that is used in Texas is HMA on
cement stabilized base (CSB). TxDOT recommends that the modulus of the base, during the
design input process, should not exceed 1725 MPa (250 ksi) to not “underdesign” the total
structural thickness. Their recommendations for compressive strength are in the range of 2.07
MPa (300 psi) to 2.76 MPa (400 psi) in hopes to avoid thermal/shrinkage cracking. The typical
cement content is 3% to 4% (by weight), resulting in a 7-day compressive strength of 2.41 MPa
(350 psi) for the rigid base layer.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TnDOT) uses the AASHTO method to

design their new composite pavements, which comprise approximately 2% of their network. The
agency uses composite pavements consisting of HMA over CTB, and HMA over lime fly-ash
treated bases. The designs are normally used on interstates, freeways, or multi-lane divided
arterial highways.
Technical Analysis
To understand the technical advantages of composite pavements, a technical evaluation

was performed. This evaluation involved mechanistic modeling of a typical composite pavement
structure that was obtained using the most promising methodologies available for the design of
composite systems.
Designed Composite Pavement Structures
To compare the output (primarily thicknesses) and layer recommendations from the
different design methodologies, it was important to design composite pavement systems for a
fixed set of conditions (inputs). Therefore, the various design procedures were followed to
design composite pavement structures for the same input parameters (e.g., traffic, design life).
Table 6 shows the basic design inputs and Table 7 the typical values used for the material
properties of each layer used for the structures. (NCHRP, 2004; Huang, 2004).
Table 6. Parameters Used for the Design of Composite Structures

Parameter Value
Design life 40 years
Traffic 50,000,000 ESALsa
58,230 ADT,b 12% trucks
Reliability 95% (AASHTO design)
75% (Danish design)
PSIoc, 4.5
PSIf 3.0
a
ESAL = number of equivalent single axle loads, in accordance with the
1993 AASHTO Pavement Design Guide b ADT = annual daily traffic
c
PSI = present serviceability index
14
Table 7. Typical Material Properties for the Composite Pavement Layers
Layer Material Elastic Modulus Poisson’s Modulus of Rupture
No. MPa (psi) Ratio MPa (psi)
1 HMA 3,448 (500,000)† 0.35 N/A
2 PCC or 24,138 (4,000,000) 0.15 4.48 (650)
RCC or 13,793 (3,500,000) 0.15 4.14 (600)
Lean mix concrete or 6,896 (2,000,000) 0.15 3.10 (450)
CTB or 3,448 (1,000,000) 0.20 1.38 (200)
Soil Cement 3,448 (500,000) 0.20 0.69 (100)
3 Base and/or 207 (30,000) 0.35 N/A
Subbase 138 (20,000) 0.35 N/A
4 Subgrade (compacted, 51.7 (7,500)* 0.40 N/A
CBR=5%)
†
Typical value at an average service temperature.
For the two AASHTO alternatives, a simple spreadsheet was created to compute all the
values obtained from the AASHTO 1993 guide. The IDOT alternative was computed using the
tables, formulas, and nomographs published in their 2002 Pavement Design Guide (IDOT, 2002).
The U.S. Air Force and Army alternative was designed using the PCASE pavement design
software available from their website (PCASE, 2007). The Danish design was based on the
Danish Road Institute mechanistic design table with a 75% reliability (Thogersen et al., 2004).
The U.K. design thicknesses were obtained using Equation 9. Figure 3 compares the cross
sections of all the composite structures designed using the various procedures.
Figure 3. Comparison of All Designed Composite Pavement Structures
15
The composite structures shown in Figure 3 ranged from a total thickness of 20 to 28 in.
These structures may be grouped into three design groups according to similar thicknesses in the
HMA and rigid base layer:
• Group 1, composed by the two AASHTO alternatives that resulted in an 8-in HMA
surface course and a 10-in rigid base. In the AASHTO 1 alternative, flexible
pavement procedure with a CTB, the structural coefficient of the HMA, a1 = 0.47,
was greater than the CTB, a2 = 0.27. In the AASHTO 2 alternative, rigid pavement
procedure with HMA rehabilitation, the structural package was similar to the
AASHTO 1 alternative, with the exception of a thinner HMA layer.
• Group 2, composed the U.K. and IDOT designs that resulted in very similar designs
consisting of a HMA of 175 mm (7 in) and a rigid base of 200 mm (8 in). The rigid
bases in these two designs were a lean-mix concrete and a PCC for the U.K. and
IDOT procedures, respectively. The layers’ designed thicknesses obtained by
following the design procedure of these transportation agencies were chosen as the
typical composite pavement to be analyzed through the mechanistic modeling. The
main reason why this design was selected is because of the experience in the U.K.,
which, according to the literature, is one of the countries that has the most experience
investigating, designing, and constructing composite pavement systems in the last two
decades.
• Group 3, composed by the military and Danish designs, which had the lowest
thicknesses for the HMA surface layer. Although the thickness of these layers are
lower than for the other cases, the Washington State Department of Transportation
specifies, based on experience, that a 100 mm (4-in) HMA thickness is thought to be
thick enough to retard reflective cracking (WSDOT, 2007). The Danish alternative is
the only one that proposes the use of a granular base layer underneath the rigid base
and above the subbase layer. However, the presence of this granular base layer could
be due to the lower modulus of the subgrade (40 MPa [5,800 psi]) used as fixed
values in their design table (Table 5). In addition, this alternative had the lowest
HMA surface thickness (87.5 mm [3.5 in]).
Mechanistic Analysis
In order to understand and model pavement behavior and responses (e.g., stress, strain,
and deflections), a mechanistic-based analysis was performed. The MICH-PAVE software,
available as a freeware, was used to model the mechanistic responses of the composite structures.
MICH-PAVE is a non-linear finite element software for the analysis of flexible and rigid
pavements. The program calculates displacements, stresses, and strains within the pavement
structure due to a single circular wheel load (Harichandran and Baladi, 2000). A user-defined
mesh can be visualized using the software, and the nodes that compose the mesh are used to
compute pavement responses at specific locations at both vertical and radial distances from the
applied load. The software outputs were also compared with those of layered linear elastic
software prior to using them in this study; the obtained results were very similar.
16
Mechanistic analyses were performed on various composite structures to understand their
behavior as various rigid bases were used. The material properties (i.e., elastic modulus,
Poisson’s ratio) used are given in Table 7. Because of the extensive experience with this type of
pavements in the U.K., the composite structure analyzed was based on the U.K. design and
included the following input parameters:
• Surface course: HMA layer: 175 mm (7 in) thickness

• Base course: (granular, soil cement, CTB, lean mix, RCC, or PCC): 200 mm (8 in)
• Subbase: granular subbase: 150 mm (6 in) thickness
• Subgrade: compacted subgrade; at least 300 mm (12 in)
• Load: one 40-KN (9,000-lb) load with a tire pressure of 0.83 MPa (120 psi) (for
deflections, two 20-KN [4,500-lb] loads with the same tire pressure were used).
Distress Transfer Functions
Fatigue Cracking. In order to model the fatigue cracking distress two approaches were
taken: (1) model the number of load repetitions to fatigue failure of the HMA layer, and (2)
model the number of load repetitions to fatigue failure of the rigid base layer.
The modeling of fatigue failure of the HMA layer was based on the model presented by
the proposed MEPDG (NCHRP 1-37A), which is based on the Asphalt Institute fatigue model.
3.291 0.854
⎛1⎞ ⎛1⎞
N f = 0.00432 × k × C ⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
'
1 (11)
⎝ εt ⎠ ⎝ E ⎠
C = 10 M (12)
⎛ Vb ⎞
M = 4.84 ⎜ − 0.69 ⎟ (13)
⎝ Va + Vb ⎠
where
Nf = number of load repetitions to fatigue cracking

k1' = parameter used for either bottom-up or top-down criteria
εt = tensile strain at critical location
E = stiffness of material (HMA)
Vb = effective binder content (%)
Va = air voids (%)
For bottom-up cracking, the k1' parameter is:
1
k1' =
0.003602 (14)
0.000398 +
1 + e(
11.02 −3.49×h ac )
17
where
hac = total thickness of asphalt layer (in).
In the rigid layer fatigue case, the modeling was based on two criteria: (1) the MEPDG
CSM fatigue failure transfer function for soil cement, CTB, and lean mix (Equation 15) and (2)
the PCA concrete fatigue failure transfer function for RCC and PCC (Equations 16 through 19).
⎛ ⎛ σt ⎞ ⎞
⎜ 0.972βc1 − ⎜ MR ⎟ ⎟
⎝ ⎠⎠ (15)
log ( N f ) = ⎝
0.0825βc2
where
Nf = number of repetitions to fatigue cracking of the CSM layer

σt = maximum traffic-induced tensile stress at the bottom of the CSM layer (psi)
MR = 28-day modulus of rupture (flexural strength) (psi)
βc1 , βc2 = field calibration factors; the default factor of 1 was used for this study.
SR ≥ 0.55: Log ( Nf ) = 11.737 − 12.077 × SR (16)

3.268
⎛ 4.2577 ⎞
0.45 < SR < 0.55: Nf = ⎜ ⎟ (17)
⎝ SR − 0.4325 ⎠
SR ≤ 0.45: Nf = unlimited (18)
where
SR = ratio of equivalent stress to PCC flexural strength (as defined in Eq. 19)
Nf = allowable number of repetitions to fatigue cracking.
σeq
SR = (19)
MR
where
σeq = equivalent stress = flexural stress in slab

MR = modulus of rupture of concrete = PCC flexural strength.
18
Permanent Deformation (Rutting) Modeling. The modeling of rutting in the HMA
layer uses the relationship from the MEPDG (NCHRP, 2004), Equation 20, to obtain the
accumulated plastic strain. This strain results from the sum of various plastic strain deformations
inside the bituminous layer, which can be used to determine the rut depth after a specific number
of load repetitions. To compute the rut depth, the HMA layer is divided into sub-layers
according to the criterion described in the MEDPG, and plastic strains are computed at various
points located at different depths from the surface.
εp
= k1 ×10−3.4488 × T1.5606 × N 0.479244 (20)
εr
where
εp = accumulated plastic strain at N repetitions of load (in/in)

εr = resilient strain of the asphalt material as a function of mix properties, temperature,
and time rate of loading (in/in)
N = number of load repetitions
T = temperature (°F)
k1 = parameter computed from Equation (21).
k1 = ( C1 + C2 × depth ) × 0.328196depth (21)

C1 = −0.1039 × h + 2.4868 × h ac − 17.342
2
ac (22)
C 2 = 0.0172 × h − 1.7331× h ac + 27.428
2
ac (23)
where
k1 = confining pressure correction factor

hac = total asphalt layers thickness (in)
depth = depth to computational point (in).
Reflective Cracking. The reflective cracking modeling was based on a mechanistic-

empirical overlay design method for reflective cracking proposed by Sousa et al. (2002). The
study focused on the modeling of reflective cracking above cracks in the underlying pavement
surface. Both dense-graded HMA and gap-graded asphalt rubber (wet process) mixes were
studied in the laboratory and field to derive mechanistic relationships and statistically based
equations. The measured versus predicted crack activity, both before and after the overlay was
placed, was investigated. The Von Mises strain, necessary for the modeling, was developed as
the following:
( )
ε VM 1×10−6 = a × ( Overlay Thickness (m) )
b
(24)
19
where
ε VM = Von Mises strain
a, b = coefficients obtained experimentally.
The model was calibrated using iterative processes. Three adjustment factors were
developed: aging adjustment factor (AAF), temperature adjustment factor (TAF), and a field
adjustment factor (FAF). All of these factors affected the value of ε VM , which was used to
determine the number of ESALs that can be sustained by the HMA overlay before the onset of
reflective cracking. The final model was the following:
ESALs = 4.1245 ×1019 × ⎡⎣ε VM (1×10−6 ) ⎤⎦

−4.9761
Asphalt rubber mix: (25)
ESALs = 4.1245 ×1020 × ⎡⎣ε VM (1×10−6 ) ⎤⎦

−5.93
Dense-graded mix: (26)
The number of ESALs obtained from Equations (25) and (26), need to be multiplied by
the FAF to obtain the final design ESALs required for the overlay to reach a specific percentage
of reflective cracking.
Deflections
Composite pavements have been known to provide greater structural support than
traditional flexible pavements, while sharing similar noise, friction, and smoothness properties.
High structural support of a pavement structure has been traditionally associated with low
deflections at the surface (i.e., deflection measurements are known to be reduced when the
bearing capacity of the road is high). In addition, a reduction of deflection under an applied load
reduces the traffic-induced stresses and strains within the layers of the structure (Nunn et al.,
1997). Therefore, a structure that provides lower deflection measurements would tend to reduce
the layers’ state of stress and strain, causing the pavement structure to be less affected (damaged)
by the loading conditions. The deflection analysis performed is shown in Figure 4.
The figure shows that the modeled deflections at the pavement surface are greatly
reduced as the stiffness of the base increases. In this case, the stiffness or elastic modulus (E) of
the base increased from soil cement (E = 3,448 MPa [500,000 psi]) to PCC (E = 27,586 MPa
[4,000,000 psi]). The maximum deflection predicted when the granular base was used was 0.49
mm (19.2 mils).
Table 8 shows the percent reduction of deflections, when comparing rigid bases to the
granular one. As the rigidity of the base increases, the deflections of the pavement structure
decrease. This reduction in deflection suggests a reduction of stresses and strains in the various
pavement layers, especially in the HMA.
20
Figure 4. Surface Pavement Deflections of Various Structures
Table 8. Maximum Deflection of Pavement Surface with Different Base Layers

Base Layer Max. Deflection Percent Reduction
mm (mils) %
Granular 0.488 (19.2) 0
Soil cement 0.264 (10.4) 45
CTB 0.240 (9.45) 51
Lean mix 0.214 (8.43) 56
RCC 0.193 (7.61) 60
PCC 0.188 (7.42) 61
Horizontal Stresses and Strains
A pavement structure, when subjected to a load, presents stress and strain responses that
are a function of the load magnitude, load location, pressure, and material properties, among
other factors. Horizontal stresses have been investigated in the past to understand their effect on
failure of HMA and cement-bound materials (e.g., soil cement, CTB, lean mix, RCC, PCC)
(Kennedy, 1983; Balbo, 1993). In addition, horizontal strains have also been investigated to
predict HMA and cement-bound material fatigue (Kennedy, 1983; Thogersen et al., 2004; Shook
et al., 1982).
The results of the horizontal stress analysis are shown in Figure 5. Two observations
from the horizontal stresses output of the mechanistic model can be discussed. First,
considerably higher compressive and tensile stresses can be observed in the HMA layer of the
typical flexible pavement structure (granular base scenario). In the case of rigid bases, the
21
magnitude of both compressive and tensile stresses is significantly reduced. For a flexible
pavement structure, the highest compressive stress is located at the top of the HMA layer,
whereas the highest tensile stress is located at the bottom of the HMA layer. For the case of
composite pavements, the stresses at the top and bottom of the HMA are compressive.
Figure 5. Horizontal Stresses Analysis with Varying Base Stiffness
Second, in the base layer of the typical flexible pavement structure (depths of 175 to 375
mm [7 to 15 in]) the stresses are small because of its low modulus. In the case of composite
pavements, higher tensile stresses develop at the bottom of rigid base layer. The magnitude of
these stresses increments as the stiffness of the base increases. Consequently, the tensile stress at
the bottom of the rigid layer criteria become critical and is the one used to predict fatigue life.
The horizontal strains output obtained from the mechanistic modeling (Figure 6) are
consistent with the results from the horizontal stresses. In this case, it can be observed that the
tensile strain at the bottom of the HMA, which is the most commonly used point of interest when
investigating flexural fatigue damage, is significantly larger in the granular base case than when
a rigid base was used. This suggests that the chance of having fatigue failure in the HMA when
using a granular base is much higher than that with any composite pavement structure.
Furthermore, the tensile strain at the bottom of the HMA only occurs for granular, soil cement,
and CTB bases; when lean mix, RCC, and PCC are used as bases, the strains become
compressive in nature. Thus the likelihood of fatigue cracking is greatly minimized. This
phenomenon was also noted in previous publications (NCHRP, 2004; Donald, 2003).
22
Figure 6. Horizontal Strain Analysis Varying Base Stiffness
Vertical Strains
Vertical strains have been used in the past to determine how much deformation is likely
to occur on top of the subgrade and thus help determine rutting due to subgrade permanent
deformation (Huang, 2004). In addition, vertical strains are used in the permanent deformation
model of the proposed MEPDG. In this model, resilient vertical strain responses are computed
to obtain plastic strain accumulations that are then used to compute the rutting within the HMA
layer (NCHRP, 2004). The vertical strain analysis performed is shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. Vertical Strain Analysis Varying Base Stiffness
23
The mechanistic model output shows an interesting vertical strain distribution especially
in the HMA layer (0 to 175 mm [0 to 7 in]). In the pavement system with a granular base,
vertical strains at the top region (0 to 12.5 mm [0 to 0.5 in]) are tensile in nature. This is
probably due to the boundary conditions imposed by the modeling software. When a lower
Poisson’s ratio value was used for the HMA (e.g., 0.30), the vertical strains at the top region of
the HMA showed compressive responses instead of tensile. The remainder of the strain
distribution (granular case) suggests that the rest of the HMA is in compression with the lower
region (100 to 175 mm [4 to 7 in]) presenting a greater magnitude of compressive responses. In
the case of composite pavements, the highest compressive stresses develop in the middle of the
layer. This suggests that higher vertical deformations presented in the HMA are prone to occur
in this region (50 to 100 mm [2 to 4 in]).
As the stiffness of the base increases, the compressive strains in the unbound layers
(subbase and subgrade) noticeably decrease. The significant reduction of vertical strains at top
of the subgrade—at a depth just below 600 mm (24 in)—suggests that rutting due to permanent
deformation of the subgrade is greatly minimized or even unlikely to occur.
Mechanistic-Empirical Analysis
Fatigue Cracking Prediction
The transfer functions presented in the preceding sections (Equations 11, 16, and 21)
were used to compute the bottom-up fatigue cracking progressions for the HMA and rigid bases
based on the critical strain from Figure 6. A summary of the results of the fatigue analysis is
shown in Table 9 and illustrated in Figure 8. A line indicating 50,000,000 ESALs is provided as
a reference.
Table 9. HMA and Rigid Base Fatigue

Structure Tensile Strain Tensile Stress Repetitions to Repetitions to
(x10-6) bottom (psi) bottom of HMA Fatigue Rigid Fatigue
of HMA Rigid layer Failure (ESALs)a Failure (ESALs)
HMA on granular 197 - 12,800,000 -
HMA on soil cement 25 42 44,500,000,000 4,890,000
HMA on CTB 3.4 57 infinite 186,000,000
HMA on lean mix - 74 infinite 6,260,000,000
HMA on RCC - 96 infinite Infinite
HMA on PCC - 96 infinite Infinite
a
Note: The Vb and Va parameters in Equation 13b are assumed to be 7% and 4%, respectively.
1 MPa = 145 psi
24
Figure 8. HMA and Rigid Base Repetitions to Fatigue Failure
The number of load repetitions to HMA fatigue failure is much greater in a pavement
with a cement-bound base (e.g., soil cement) than in pavement with a granular base. Table 9
shows an infinite number of load repetitions for the HMA on CTB, lean mix, RCC, and PCC
base courses; this is because when any of these bases are used, the strain at the bottom of the
HMA becomes very small (CTB case) or compressive in nature (lean mix, RCC, and PCC cases)
and the flexible layer is highly unlikely to fail due to fatigue cracking.
It can be observed that for composite pavements where the rigid base is a soil cement,
CTB, or lean mix, the base is the layer that controls the design in terms of fatigue, as it would
fail earlier than the HMA layer. In the case of RCC and PCC fatigue evaluation, the repetitions
were determined to be infinite because the stress ratio (SR) term after a load was applied for
RCC and PCC were 0.17 and 0.16, respectively. The fatigue behavior of RCC was assumed to
be similar to that of conventional PCC as recommended by the American Concrete Institute
(ACI) (Delatte, 2004).
Permanent Deformation (Rutting) Prediction
The modeling of rutting in the HMA layer uses the relationship from the proposed
MEPDG (NCHRP, 2004), as shown in Equation 20, to obtain the accumulated plastic strain.
This strain results from the sum of various plastic strain deformations inside the asphalt layer,
which can be used to determine the rut depth after a specific number of load repetitions. To
compute the rut depth, the HMA layer is divided into sub-layers according to the criterion
described in the MEDPG, and plastic strains are computed at various points located at different
depths from the surface.
Figure 9 shows the results obtained for the rutting in the HMA layer in terms of rut depth
versus the type of base used. The results suggest that as the stiffness of the base increases, the
25
rut depth in the HMA layer increases as well. This was an expected outcome because the high
rigidity of the base does not allow any significant vertical deformation to occur, thus the HMA
layer absorbs all the vertical strains and deforms itself as illustrated (exaggerated for illustration
purposes) in Figure 10. The 12.5 mm (0.5 in) rut depth shown in Figure 9 represents the
allowable value used by the Asphalt Institute and Huang (2004).
The HMA rutting results show that for 50,000,000 18-kip load repetitions, the typical
flexible pavement constructed with a granular base was the only structure that met the 12.5 mm
(0.5 in) rut depth criterion. All of the composite pavement structures presented greater (up to 21
mm [0.83in]) degrees of permanent deformation due to the high number of load repetitions. It is
noted, however, that the computed rut depth for all the structures (both flexible and composite)
assumed no rehabilitation operations at any time during the 50,000,000 load applications.
Therefore, if a functional rehabilitation is applied at any time during the service life of the
pavement, part of the permanently deformed HMA would be replaced. In addition, the use of
premium mixes, such as SMA, may also help reduce the rutting progression. Finally, it is also
important to note that the model has not been validated and calibrated to the local conditions.
Figure 9. HMA Rut Depth Versus Base Type
26
Figure 10. Permanent Deformation (Rutting) in HMA Layer Due to the Rigidity of the Composite Pavement
Cementitious Base
Reflective Cracking Prediction
The modeling of reflective cracking was based on the study published by Sousa et al.
(2002), which proposed a mechanistic-empirical HMA overlay design that predicts the number
of 80.2 kN (18-kip) load repetitions for a predetermined percentage of reflective cracking.
As the thickness of the HMA layer increases, the number of repetitions to achieve a 5%
reflective cracking also increases as shown in Figure 11. This mechanistic-empirical model was
originally proposed to predict the reflected cracks on an HMA overlay placed on top of a cracked
HMA. This model was chosen to investigate reflective cracking in composite pavements
because of its practical application to predicting this type of distress on HMA overlays. In
addition, very few methodologies or procedures have been published to predict reflective
cracking on composite pavement systems (i.e., HMA on PCC or rigid bases), mainly because of
the difficulty of modeling the behavior and interface interaction of these two very different
materials. However, the findings and proposed procedure by Sousa et al. (2002), which involves
the computation of vertical crack activities before and after the overlay is placed, were assumed
to be reasonably applicable to a composite pavement system when the typical values of a
composite structure are input.
27
Figure 11. Reflective Cracking Modeling for Various Rigid Bases and HMA Thicknesses
For 50,000,000 ESALs, as the rigidity of the base increased, the number of repetitions to
achieve 5% reflective cracking on the HMA overlay decreased. This suggests that using a stiffer
base would tend to generate more reflective cracking on the surface. It should be noted however,
that the results obtained may differ in the case of the CRCP because the reinforcement will
decrease the crack opening. The thickness of the HMA layer has some effect on the retardation
of reflective cracking to reach the surface; this is particularly noticeable for thicknesses between
25 and 100 mm (1 and 4 in). In addition, the minimum HMA thickness of 100 mm (4 in) to
control reflective cracking is supported by the results in Figure 11, in which the load repetitions
to reflective cracking for any HMA thicknesses less than 100 mm (4 in) are significantly reduced.
Economic Analysis
A simplified economic analysis was used to evaluate the feasibility of composite

pavement systems. The study consisted of a deterministic LCCA of the agency costs following
VDOT LCCA guidelines (VDOT, 2002) and a sensitivity analysis. These guidelines include
predefined work schedules for various pavement structures. Four types of pavements were
analyzed. The design was based on a typical section of Interstate 81 with an annual average
daily traffic (AADT) of 50,000 vehicles and 30% trucks yielding around 67,000,000 ESALs over
a 30-year pavement design period. The thicknesses for the typical flexible, rigid (CRCP), and
semi-rigid (Composite with CTB) pavements were obtained using the AASHTO 1993 method,
whereas the thickness for the composite pavement with CRCP base was based on the
mechanistic modeling and analysis in this study. To simplify the analysis, the shoulders were
assumed to have the same structural package as the pavement. Table 10 summarizes the
thickness of the various layers for the four structural designs considered in the LCCA.
28
Table 10. Layer Thicknesses in mm (in) of the Pavement Structures used for the LCCA
Type of Pavement
Layer Flexible Rigid (CRCP) Composite w/ CTB Composite w/ CRCP Base
HMA 288 - 225 175
(11.5) (9) (7)
CRCP - 350 - -
(14)
CTAa - 150 200 -
(6) (8)
Granular base 200 - - -
(8)
CRCP base - - - 200
(8)
Subbase 225 - 225 225
(9) (9) (9)
a
Note: CTA = cement-treated aggregate
Table 11 shows the work schedule used in the LCCA for this study. The VDOT (2002)
guidelines for the flexible, rigid (CRCP), and semi-rigid (composite with CTB) pavement
structures were used. A continuous 10-year functional mill and overlay maintenance activity
was assumed for the composite with CRCP base pavement based on the literature (NCHRP,
2004; MDSHA, 2002; Smith et al., 2001).
A 50-year analysis period was used as recommended by VDOT. The unit prices of
various items were obtained from the average state bid tabulations published on VDOT’s website
(VDOT, 2007). The unit weight values for AC, aggregates, and drainage layer remained
unchanged for the volumetric computations. All costs computed were based on a 1-mile road
section. The present worth (PW) method was selected to compare all the different pavement
alternatives. A discount rate of 4%, as recommended by VDOT and the FHWA, was used.
Table 11. Maintenance and Rehabilitation Schedule for Pavement Alternatives Activities
Type of Pavement
Composite w/ CRCP
Year Flexible Rigid (CRCP) Composite w/ CTB Base
0 New construction New construction New construction New construction
10 Pavement maintenance Functional mill and
replace
12 Functional mill and Functional mill and
replace replace
20 Pavement restoration and Functional mill and
HMA overlay replace
22 Structural mill and Structural mill and
replace replace
30 Functional mill and replace Functional mill and
replace
32 Major rehabilitation Major rehabilitation
40 Pavement restoration and Functional mill and
HMA overlay replace
44 Functional mill and Functional mill and
replace replace
50 Salvage value Salvage value Salvage value Salvage value
29
The applicability of the work schedule shown in Table 11 for the composite pavement
with CRCP base alternative was verified using the distress prediction curves obtained in the
technical analysis. The curves were utilized to estimate the number of years required for a
maintenance operation to be triggered because the corresponding distress reach the defined
threshold (Figure 12). The numbers of years for each analyzed distress to reach the threshold are
summarized in Table 12.
Table 12. Years for Composite Pavement with CRCP Base to Reach Distress Trigger Levels
Fatigue Fatigue
(Bottom-Up) (Top-Down) Rutting Reflective Cracking Proposed Year for Maintenance Activity
50+ 50+ ~11 ~8 10
1.2 1.E+09
Repetitions to 5% Reflective Cracking on Mainline

1.0 1.E+08
Granular SC
~ 8 years
0.8 CTB Lean 1.E+07
RCC PCC
Rut Depth (in.)
0.6 1.E+06
Soil Cement
0.4 1.E+05 CTB
Lean Mix
RCC
0.2 1.E+04 PCC
~ 11 years
0.0 1.E+03
0.E+00 1.E+07 2.E+07 3.E+07 4.E+07
0 5 10
ESALs (18,000 lbs load repetitions) Thickness of HMA (in.)
Figure 12. Estimates of Time to Reach Distress Trigger Values
The proposed year for the maintenance activity (10 years) is within the range of the
rutting and reflective cracking distresses presented in the table. Although reflective cracking
reaches an unacceptable level in 8 years based on the models used, it is important to mention that
reflective cracking is highly unlikely due to the absence of longitudinal or transversal joints in
the CRCP. On the other hand, rutting in the HMA is more likely to develop, however, the
milling and replacing of part of the HMA course every 10 years will correct the rutting before it
reaches the unacceptable value. Therefore, for the composite pavement with CRCP base the 10-
year functional maintenance frequency recommended by the literature was considered
appropriate for the feasibility study. The results of the LCCA are summarized in Figure 13.
According to the LCCA, the least expensive pavement alternative was the composite
pavement with a CTB layer. The next least expensive alternative was the flexible pavement,
which costs approximate 15% more than the least costly alternative. The composite pavement
with a CRCP base layer was the third least expensive alternative, costing approximate y 44%
more than the least costly alternative over the life-cycle of the highway. Finally, the rigid CRCP
30
had the greatest cost of all the pavement alternatives. Several factors contribute to making the
composite with CTB the least expensive alternative. The unit price of the cement-treated
aggregate (CTA), used to construct the CTB, is $21.00 per ton, whereas the unit price of a
granular base (aggregate 21-B) is $18.00 per ton. This suggests that the cost of the CTB and
granular base layer is similar. Because of this, the main cost is attributed to the HMA layer,
which has an average unit price of $68.00 per ton ($76.00 for HMA surface mix, $65.00 for
HMA intermediate mix, and $62.00 for HMA base mix). The savings are due to the reduction of
the typical thickness from 288 mm (11.5 in) for flexible pavement to 225 mm (9 in) for the
composite with CTB.
2.0
(with respect to the lowest alternative)
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
Relative Cost
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
Composite
Composite
Composite
Composite
CRCP
CRCP
Flexible
Flexible
w/CRCP
w/CRCP
w/CTB
w/CTB
Initial Cost Total PW of LCC

Figure 13. Initial Const and PW Costs for all Alternatives
In the case of the composite pavement with a CRCP base, the cost of the 200 mm (8 in)
concrete base ($81.48 per m2 [$66.00 per sq. yd]) is relatively high. With the computed
thickness of the rigid slab using the AASHTO 1993 method for the CRCP pavement alternative,
the price per square meter was $ 104.93 [$85.00 per sq. yd.], which accounts for the majority of
the price difference between the composite pavement with CRCP base and the rigid pavement
alternative.
Despite the noticeable difference in the PW costs obtained, there is an important

consideration regarding composite pavements. According to the VDOT LCCA publication, a
composite pavement with a CTB would be due for a reconstruction when year 50 is reached.
However, Balbo and Cintra (1994) conclude that because CTB is originally produced with
aggregates (i.e., it contains CTA) the material will behave like a very good granular material.
31
This suggests that a reconstruction may not be required; milling and replacement of the AC layer
would be sufficient. However, reflection cracking is likely to occur. In the case of the
composite pavement with CRCP base, a similar assumption can be made because only functional
maintenance operations are performed on the asphalt course throughout its service life. In
addition, the longevity of such pavement, due to the bituminous surface layer preserving the
structure integrity of the base, suggests that reconstruction is not necessary. In brief, typical
flexible and rigid pavements reach the end of their service lives after 50 years, at which time a
reconstruction is likely to occur; however, composite pavements can last more than 50 years as
long as maintenance and light rehabilitation operations are performed.
Sensitivity Analysis
A sensitivity analysis examining the effect of traffic on the PW of agency costs was
performed to investigate if the flexible over CRCP composite pavement structure becomes cost
effective for vey high traffic volumes. This evaluation involved the computation of total agency
costs at different traffic volumes. ESALs ranges of 33, 67 and 135 million over the design life
were considered.
Traffic growth curves were created for the 50-year LCCA analysis period for each AADT
case. Then, the years at which rehabilitation needed to take place on the typical traffic growth
curve (i.e., approximately 67,000,000 ESALs) were shifted according to the ESALs required for
the same pavement structures to reach a maintenance or rehabilitation trigger (Table 13). The
increase in ESALs can be due to an increase in the traffic volume or an increase in the
percentage of trucks. A reconstruction was scheduled for the highest traffic alternative in year
35, except for the composite with CRCP base pavement. The present worth computations for all
the alternatives using a discount rate of 4% are summarized in Figure 14. It should be noted that
the assumed maintenance schedule for the composite with CRCP base pavement was not
changed with the increased traffic. This assumption was based on the experiences reviewed in
the literature; however, it would need to be verified experimentally before strong conclusions can
be drawn.
It can be observed that as the ESALs increase, the PW of all alternatives increase as well,
except for the composite with CRCP base which stays at a constant PW throughout. The CRCP
base composite pavement remains with a constant PW cost because of the assumption that only
periodic functional mill and replace every 10 years is required to accommodate very high
volumes of traffic; approximately 400,000,000 ESALs (U.K., 2006). The sensitivity analysis
suggests that CRCP base composite pavements have the potential to save significant agency
costs when considered for very high-volume high-priority highways (approximately 140 million
ESALs or greater).
32
Table 13. Estimated Maintenance Schedule for Different ESAL Levels
Flexible and Composite with CTB
ESALs ~33M ~67M ~135M
Functional Mill and Replace 21 12 7
Structural Mill and Replace 35 22 13
Major Rehabilitation 47 32 19
Functional Mill and Replace - 44 29
Reconstruction - - 35
Functional Mill and Replace - - 41
Structural Mill and Replace - - 47
Rigid (CRCP)
Concrete Pavement Maintenance 18 10 5
Concrete Pavement Restoration and AC Overlay 33 20 12
Concrete Pavement Restoration and AC Overlay - 40 25
Reconstruction - - 35
Concrete Pavement Maintenance - - 40
Concrete Pavement Restoration and AC Overlay - - 47
Composite with CRCP Base
Salvage Value 50 50 50
Note: All maintenance operations defined in accordance with VDOT (2002).
$4.5
$4.0
Present Worth (million dollars)
$3.5
$3.0
$2.5
$2.0
$1.5
Flexible
$1.0
Composite with CTB
Rigid
$0.5
Composite with CRCP
$0.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
ESALs (millions)
Figure 14. PW Computation of Pavement Alternatives at Different Design ESALs
33
FINDINGS
The main findings of this study concerning the technical and economic evaluations of
composite pavement systems to be used during the PTS process are the following:
• According to the literature, countries (e.g., the U.K., Spain) that have used composite
pavement systems in their main road network have had a positive experience in terms
of functional and structural performance. The review suggests that this type of
pavement can also perform satisfactorily in Virginia. Furthermore, good performance
could also be expected from existing CRCP overlaid with high-quality HMA surfaces
if the overlay is applied when the existing pavement is still in relatively good
condition.
• At the technical level, composite pavements mitigate various structural and functional
problems that typical flexible or rigid pavements tend to present. The use of rigid
bases minimize (or eliminate) the development of distresses such as HMA fatigue
cracking, subgrade rutting, PCC erosion, and PCC loss of friction, among others.
• However, other types of distresses such as reflective cracking and rutting within the
HMA layer need to be considered because they affect composite pavement systems
more than the traditional pavement structures. Premium HMA surfaces and/or
reflective cracking mitigation techniques may be required to mitigate these potential
problems. The minimum thickness of the HMA layers to mitigate reflective cracking
range from 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 in). One of the countries with more experience
concerning composite pavements is the U.K., which uses an HMA layer thickness of
175 mm (7 in).
• The use of a high-stiffness base layer under the HMA surface course provided the
following benefits:
─ Deflections at the HMA surface are significantly reduced as the stiffness of the
base layer increases.
─ Fatigue (bottom-up) cracking in the HMA, due to high tensile strain at the bottom
of the layer, is greatly minimized; in some cases the number of repetitions to
fatigue cracking was determined to be unlimited.
─ Permanent deformations (rutting) due to vertical compressive strains and stresses
in the unbound subbase and, most importantly, subgrade layer are significantly
minimized.
• On the other hand, permanent deformations within the HMA layer tend to increase as
the stiffness of the base increases; however, the use of rut resistant mixes such as
SMA may reduce this effect.
• A deterministic LCCA (considering only agency costs) showed that of the composite
pavement with CTB can cost less than the traditional flexible and rigid pavement
alternatives. Comparing the composite with CTB to the flexible pavement, the
34
composite alternative requires a lower HMA thickness due to the high support
provided by the rigid base.
• A sensitivity analysis of the agency costs over the life-cycle of the pavements,
suggests that CRCP base composite pavements can become a cost-effective
alternative for very high-traffic high-priority highways (carrying more than
approximately 140 million ESALs).
CONCLUSIONS
Composite pavement systems can become a cost-effective pavement alternative during

the PTS process for high-volume high-priority highways because of the functional, structural,
and economic benefits they can provide during their service life. These types of structures can
provide long-life pavement that offers good serviceability levels and rapid, cost-effective
maintenance operations. While likely to be more suited for new construction, composite
pavements are still relevant for VDOT in that they should be considered for lane addition
projects (such as truck climbing lanes) that are expected to carry high traffic volumes and heavy
truck loads.
The feasibility-level LCCA suggests that the use of a composite pavement with a CTB
can be a cost-effective alternative for a typical Interstate traffic (e.g., 35 million ESALs).
Alternatively, composite pavement with CRCP base may become more cost-effective for very
high volumes of traffic (approximately 140 million ESALs and greater).
Finally, it is important to note that the maintenance schedule for the CRCP base
composite pavements analyzed was determined based on the literature review, and its
applicability to Virginia highways should be verified. The costs of reflective cracking mitigation
actions were not included in the feasibility analysis.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. VDOT’s Materials Division should consider composite pavement structures with CTB as one
of the alternatives in the PTS process for interstate (or other high volume) highways.
However, appropriate methods should be used to mitigate reflective cracking at the HMA
surface.
2. VDOT’s Materials Division should also consider composite pavement structures with a
CRCP base for very high traffic highways (carrying approximately 140 million ESALs or
greater) due to their relatively low long-term maintenance needs. Since the CRCP does not
have any transversal joints, reflective cracks should not significantly affect the functionality,
serviceability, or structural adequacy of the pavement system. For VDOT, the most
applicable locations for composite pavements would be areas of total reconstruction or lane
additions (such as truck climbing lanes).
35
COSTS AND BENEFITS ASSESSMENT
As shown in the economic analysis section of this report, the use of composite pavement
structures can provide a cost-effective alternative for the construction of high-traffic volume
corridors throughout the state. Composite pavement systems mitigate various structural and
functional problems that typical flexible or rigid pavements tend to present, such as HMA fatigue,
subgrade rutting, PCC erosion, and PCC loss of friction, among others. However, they are also
more prompt to develop other types of distresses, such as reflective cracking and HMA rutting.
A life cycle cost analysis considering agency cost showed that composite pavement with
CTB can be a cost effective alternative to the typical flexible and rigid pavement systems. The
composite pavement systems with CTB require thinner HMA layer than equivalent traditional
flexible pavements, which reduces the initial construction costs.
Furthermore the sensitivity analysis of the agency costs over the life-cycle of the
pavements, suggest that the CRCP base composite pavements can become a cost-effective
alternative for very high-traffic high-priority highways (carrying more than approximately 140
million ESALs). However, this analysis was based on an assumed maintenance schedule
determined in accordance with the recommendation of the literature reviewed
In addition to the agency savings, road user cost saving could also be important, specially
for the HMA over CRCP composite pavement option because it would not require any lengthy
rehabilitation actions, as is the case for the typical flexible and rigid pavements.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report was produced under the joint sponsorship of the Virginia Tech Transportation
Institute, the Virginia Transportation Research Council and the Virginia Department of
Transportation. Drs. Linbing Wang and Edgar de León from VTTI contributed to the conception
and development of this project. The project technical panel members, Tanveer Chowdhury,
Stacey Diefenderfer, Audrey Moruza, Bipad Saha and Thomas Tate, provided valuable guidance,
comments, and recommendations.
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Harichandran, R.S., and Baladi, G.Y. (2000). MICHPAVE User's Manual. Department of Civil
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Hein, D.K., Olidis, C., Magni, E., and MacRae, D. (2002). A method for the investigation and
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Huang, Y. H. (2004). Pavement Analysis and Design. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle
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Hudson, W.R., and Roberts, F.L. (1981). Design Procedure for Premium Composite Pavements.
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Pavement Design. Springfield.
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Asamblea de Socios & Congreso Ficem, Cartagena, España, Oct. 27-29.
Kennedy, T.W. (1983). Tensile characterization of highway pavement materials. FHWA/TX-

84/21+183-15F. Center for Transportation Research, Austin, TX.
Maryland State Highway Administration. (2002). Pavement Design Guide, Maryland

Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (SHA), Office of Materials
and Technology (MT), Hanover.
Merrill, D., Dommelen, A.V., and Gaspar, L. (2006). A review of practical experience
throughout Europe on deterioration in fully-flexible and semi-rigid long-life pavements.
International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 7(2), 101-109.
National Cooperative Highway Research Program. (2004). Guide for Mechanistic-Empirical

Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures. NCHRP 1-37A. Champaign, IL.
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Nissans K., and Nunn, M.E. (2004). A Model for Top-Down Cracking in Composite Pavements.
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39
40
APPENDIX A
SURVEY
A web-based survey created by the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC)

and the Center for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure at the Virginia Tech Transportation
Institute (VTTI) was made available online for 30 days with the objective of assembling a
synthesis of the design of composite pavements. The survey was aimed for the departments of
transportation (DOT) all over the U.S. The following survey was sent to state DOT pavement
design engineers.
SECTION 1 : CONTACT INFORMATION
Name: _________________________________________________________________
Current Position/Title: ____________________________________________________
Agency: ________________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
City: ________________________________ State: __________ Zip: _____________
Telephone: ___________________________ Fax: _____________________________
Email: _______________________________________
SECTION 2: GENERAL INFORMATION
1. What is the name (or acronym) of the design method used by your agency/company for
flexible pavement design?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the name (or acronym) of the design method used by your agency/company for
rigid pavement design?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Do you have complementary guidelines to facilitate the use of the design method(s). If
so, please send us a copy if possible.
Yes
____________________________________________________________________
No
4. What is the form of the tools you use for design:

a. Paper design guide / nomographs
b. Pavement catalogue
41
c. Pavement analysis software
d. Pavement design software
5. Specify the year in which the current design method was implemented within your
organization _______
6. Give an estimated percentage of new roads constructed using:

a. Flexible pavements ____%
b. Composite pavements* ____%
c. Rigid pavements ____%
* How much percentage are a result of HMA overlay over existing PCC**
____%
** If the percentage of composite pavements is 0%, please skip to the SECTION 5
SECTION 3 : COMPOSITE PAVEMENT DESIGN INPUTS
7. Which environmental factors are taken into consideration in the design method used:
a. Climatic zone(s)
b. Air temperatures
c. Pavement Temperatures
d. Detailed daily temperature data
e. Mean monthly/seasonal/annual temperatures
f. Maximum and minimum monthly/seasonal/annual temperatures
g. Equivalent monthly/seasonal/annual temperatures
h. Precipitation
i. Frost index
j. Frost penetration depth
k. Other(s):_______________________________________________________
8. What kind of traffic input do you use for the design of composite pavements?
a. Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL)

b. Load spectra
c. Maximum axle or wheel load
9. What is the design life (in years) that composite pavements are typically designed for in
your agency?
<20 20 25 30 40 50 >50
10. During the Pavement Type Selection (PTS) process for composite pavements, which of
the following factors are considered?
a. Construction costs
b. Preventive maintenance costs
c. Rehabilitation costs
42
d. User-related costs (e.g., user delay)
e. Environmental impact
f. Other(s):_______________________________________________________
11. Do you use Reliability as a part of the pavement design process? If so, what level of
reliability do you normally consider for designing composite pavements?
a. No Reliability is used
b. 85%
c. 90%
d. 95%
e. 99%
f. Other: ________________________________________________________
12. Do you use any other inputs for the design procedure (besides the material properties)
not listed above? If so, please describe.
________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 4: COMPOSITE PAVEMENT DESIGN CRITERIA
13. What method or design procedure do you use to design composite pavements?
a. AASHTO modified method
b. US Navy and Military composite pavement design procedure
c. NCHRP 1-37 – Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Method
d. Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) method
e. United Kingdom composite pavement procedure
f. Other: ________________________________________________________
14. What types of layers comprise your typical composite pavement structure?
a. Surface (flexible) layer
i. Dense Graded / Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA)
ii. Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)
iii. Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC)
b. Base (rigid) layer
i. Jointed Plain Concrete (JPC) pavement
ii. Continuously Reinforced Concrete (CRC) pavement
iii. Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC)1 pavement
2
iv. Lean Mix Concrete
v. Cement-Treated Base (CTB)3
4
vi. Soil Cement
vii. Other: _______________________________________________
1 Dry concrete consistency; zero slump; vibratory compaction; compressive strength 4,000 to 10,000 psi; flexural strength 500 to 1,000 psi; modulus of elasticity
3,000,000 to 5,500,000 psi; cement content 9 to 18%.
2 Low strength concrete (low cement content); slump 1 to 3 in.; air content 4 to 8%; compressive strength at 7 days 500 psi (minimum), at 28 days 750 to 1,200
psi; cement-aggregate ratio 1:20 to 1:24 in volume.

3 Cement content 3 to 6% (weight); compressive strength at 7 days 650 psi, at 28 days 1,160 psi; modulus of elasticity 250,000 to 1,000,000 psi
4 Natural soil modified with 3 to 7% cement content; modulus of elasticity 50,000 to 100,000 psi.
43
c. Subbase
i. Granular material
ii. Cement Modified material/soil
iii. No subbase is used for the design
iv. Other: ________________________________________________
d. Subgrade
i. Cement Modified material/soil
ii. Natural subgrade compacted
iii. Other: ________________________________________________
15. Are there any minimum thickness requirements for some or all of the layers of the
composite structure?
a. Surface course ______ in.
b. Base layer ______ in.
c. Subbase ______ in.
d. Subgrade ______ in.
e. No minimum thickness is required
16. For each of the layers described below, what characteristics are used in the design
procedure (please check all that apply):
a. Subgrade
i. California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
ii. Resilient Modulus (elastic stiffness)
iii. Frost susceptibility
iv. Soil type/classification
v. Gradation
vi. Other(s): _______________________________________________
b. Subbase
i. California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
ii. Resilient Modulus (elastic stiffness)
iii. Permeability
iv. Frost susceptibility
v. Soil type/classification
vi. Material strength (unconfined comp. strength)

vii. Other(s): _______________________________________________
c. Base (rigid layer)
i. Cement content
ii. Flexural strength @ 7th day
th
iii. Compressive strength @ 7 day
iv. Coefficient of thermal expansion
v. Other(s): _______________________________________________
d. Surface course (flexible layer)
i. Elastic Modulus
ii. Dynamic Modulus
iii. Rheological properties
44
iv. Coefficient of thermal expansion
v. Fatigue resistance
vi. Rutting performance
vii. Other(s): _______________________________________________
17. Please specify the typical properties of the following layers in your composite pavement
system.
a. Surface course (flexible layer)
i. Asphalt content ____%
ii. Air voids (target) ____%
iii. Other(s): _______________________________________________
b. Base (rigid layer)
i. Typical cement content ____%
ii. Typical flexural strength @ 7th day ____psi
th
iii. Typical compressive strength @ 7 day ____psi
iv. Other(s): _______________________________________________
18. Is there a design consideration/criteria regarding the mitigation or control of reflective

cracking? If so, please describe.
a. Yes
__________________________________________________________________
b. No
SECTION 5 : CONSTRUCTABILITY
19. Have you used/placed any reflective cracking mitigation technique/method such as
Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer (SAMI), Microcracking, Pre-Cracking,
Geotextiles, etc.? If so, which ones and what has been your experience?
a. Yes
__________________________________________________________________
b. No
20. If you have used CTB or Soil Cement, where have you prepared this mix:
a. In the field
b. In a plant
21. Please describe any issues or challenges that composite pavements brought in your
construction.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 6 : COMMENTS
45
22. Please comment on any additional information that you believe could help to better the
understanding, design, and construction of composite pavements.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
46
APPENDIX B
SURVEY RESULTS
The survey created during this study was sent to state DOT pavement design engineers.
Responses were received from 34 state DOT’s. From these responses, 11 agencies responded as
having experience designing composite pavements. Eight responses indicated the experience
came from the rehabilitation of existing rigid pavements and 3 of the 11 indicated experience
designing new composite pavements. The survey results presented in this appendix are based on
the response of all 11 states that have the experience with composite pavement design.
47
Table B.1. Summarized Survey Results
Transportation Agency SCDOT OhioDOT TxDOT MDOT MDSHA NJDOT
Design method for
AASHTO 1993 AASHTO Modified FPS-19W AASHTO 1993 AASHTO 1993 AASHTO 1993
composite pavements
New Composite pavements
2 0 4 0 0 0
in road network
Typical design life for
20 20 20 20 20 20
composite pavements
Reliability used in the
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
design process
Flexible layer for CPS HMA HMA HMA HMA HMA, SMA HMA, SMA, OGFC
Rigid layer for CPS CTB JPCP CTB JRCP JPCP, CRCP JPCP
Cement modified
Subbase for CPS material/soil, or no Granular material No subbase is used Granular material No subbase is used Granular material
subbase
Cement modified
Natural subgrade material/soil, and/or Lime modified Natural subgrade Natural subgrade Natural subgrade
Subgrade for CPS
compacted natural subgrade material/soil compacted compacted compacted
compacted
Min. thickness for flexible
4 3 2 3.5
layer (inches)
Min. thickness for rigid
6 8 8
layer (inches)
Typical asphalt content 4 to 6% 7% 5% 5 to 6% 5%
Typical air voids (target) 4 to 4.5% 3.5% 4% 4% 4% 4%
Typical cement content 2 to 5% 600 lb 3 to 4%
Typical compressive
600 psi @ 14 days 350 psi @ 7 days
strength
Design criteria or
consideration for reflective Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
cracking
Ongoing research has
Their design
Their philosophy is shown Strata and
procedure for
to use a low strength other interlayer
composite pavements Microcracking of the
cement-treated base mixtures to be
consists of designing CTB has been used
material to control effective, binder rich
a rigid pavement and as a method to retard
Comments shrinkage cracking surfaces such as
then reducing the reflective cracking
and place that layer SMA and OGFC
thickness of the on the surface
at a relatively high perform better that
concrete by one inch course.
thickness to avoid SUPERPAVE, geo-
and add a three inch
fatigue cracking. textiles have not been
asphalt surface.
very effective.
48
Transportation Agency GaDOT CODOT TnDOT ConnDOT IowaDOT
Design method for
AASHTO 1972 AASHTO 1993 AASHTO 1993 AASHTO Modified AASHTO 1993
composite pavements
Composite pavements in
0 0 2 0 0
road network
Typical design life for
20 20 20 20 20
composite pavements
Reliability used in the
No Yes Yes Yes Yes
design process
Flexible layer for CPS HMA, SMA, OGFC HMA, SMA HMA HMA HMA
Rigid layer for CPS JPCP, CRCP JPCP, CTB, Soil Cement CTB, Lime Fly-ash JPCP, JRCP JPCP, CRCP
Granular material, No subbase design unless
Cement modified soil conditions (CBR less
Subbase for CPS Granular material Granular material Granular material
material/soil, or no than 3) warrant cement
subbase is used. modified soil.
Cement modified Cement modified
Natural subgrade Natural subgrade Natural subgrade
Subgrade for CPS material/soil, natural material/soil, natural
compacted compacted compacted
subgrade compacted subgrade compacted
Min. thickness for flexible
5.5 9.25 3 3
layer (inches)
Min. thickness for rigid
5
layer (inches)
Typical asphalt content 5% 5.5% 3 to 8% 5% 6%
Typical air voids (target) 7% 4% 4% 4%
Typical cement content 4%
Typical compressive
strength
Design criteria or
consideration for reflective Yes No No Yes No
cracking
Requirement: PCC
A drainage layer is used Modulus of Rupture (700 Modulus of Rupture
Comments on top of the rigid base psi), also PCC Elastic (MOR) of 650 psi @ 28
layer. modulus (typically days
3,500,000 psi)
49
Detailed Survey Results
The following are plots and pie charts that represent the 11 responses from the DOTs that
had some degree of experience with composite pavements.
Figure B.1. Survey participants (in red [dark]).
50
Figure B.2. Survey participants indicating experience with composite pavement design (in green [dark]).
51
Figure B.3. Response to Question 1, What is the name (or acronym) of the design method used by your
agency/company for flexible pavement design?
agency/company for rigid pavement design?
52
agency/company for composite pavement design?
Figure B.6. Response to Question 10, During the Pavement Type Selection (PTS) process for composite
pavements, which of the following factors are considered?
Figure B.7. Response to Question 14, What types of layers comprise your typical composite pavement structure?
53
Figure B.8. Response to Question 15, Are there any minimum thickness requirements for some or all of the
layers of the composite structure?
54
Survey Comments
The following lists the comments from the survey responses from the 11 states that have
some degree of experience with composite pavements:
• All DOTs use ESALs as the preferred traffic input parameters for designing
composite pavements.
• TxDOT, SCDOT, and TnDOT construct new composite pavements (i.e., composite
pavements that are not the result of a HMA overlay of an already in-service rigid
pavement).
• MDSHA is the only transportation agency that recommends the use of a permeable
drainage layer on top of the rigid base layer. They state that this permeable drainage
layer works well enough, especially when compared to some cases where no drainage
layer exists.
• Most DOTs—with the exception of CODOT, TnDOT, and IowaDOT—have a design

consideration or criteria regarding the mitigation or control of reflective cracking.
• SCDOT: Uses a low-strength CTB to control shrinkage cracking and places that layer
at a relatively high thickness to avoid fatigue cracking. This results in pavements
with very low surface deflections (2-5 mils at 9-kips).
• Ohio DOT: Design procedure for composite pavements consists of designing a rigid
pavement and then reducing the concrete thickness by one inch and add a three inch
asphalt surface course.
• ConnDOT:
— Sawing and sealing performance has been observed to depend on very accurate
placement of saw cut (within 2 in. in many cases), and its beneficial effects are
higher the thinner the AC layer over PCC.
— Milling to expose the PCC slab and full-depth repair of PCC joints that are
deteriorated in the existing PCC slab is essential to achieving performance in their
experience.
— Have not considered building brand-new composite pavements as the benefits are
unclear (beyond perhaps noise reduction).
55

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FINAL

COMPOSITE PAVEMENT SYSTEMS:

GERARDO W. FLINTSCH, Ph.D., P.E.

BRIAN K. DIEFENDERFER, Ph.D., P.E.

7. Author(s): 8. Performing Organization Report No.:

17 Key Words: 18. Distribution Statement:

COMPOSITE PAVEMENT SYSTEMS:

Gerardo W. Flintsch, Ph.D., P.E.

Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.

Project Manager: Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.

Contract Research Sponsored by

Virginia Transportation Research Council

In Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation

Copyright 2008 by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

COMPOSITE PAVEMENT SYSTEMS:

Gerardo W. Flintsch, Ph.D., P.E.

Brian K. Diefenderfer, Ph.D., P.E.

Composite structures are also known as semi-rigid or flexible composite structures in

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

Mechanistic and Mechanistic-Empirical Evaluation

Mechanistic analysis of various composite pavement structures was performed using

A composite pavement structure is defined as a structure comprising two or more layers

Figure 1. Typical Cross-sections of Composite Pavements

Composite pavements, when compared to traditional flexible or rigid pavements, have

A study by Merrill et al. (2006) reviewed the experiences of composite pavements in

Composite Pavement Design

AASHTO 1993 Guide

SN = a1D1 + m 2 a 2 D 2 + m3a 3 D3 (1)

Ec = chord modulus (MPa)

DOL = A ( Df − Deff ) (4)

A = factor to convert PCC thickness deficiency to AC overlay thickness

D eff = Fjc × Fdur × Ffat × D (5)

Assuming that Df = Deff, a conservative value of A = 2.2233 would be obtained. Lower

U.S. Army and Air Force Design

Allowable Strain = ε AC = 10 − A (7a)

Allowable Coverage = 10X (7c)

ε AC = allowable (tensile) strain.

Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Design

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) includes a design procedure and

This comprehensive design methodology includes sections such as potential use of

DO = thickness of HMA layer for new composite pavement (in)

Table 2. Minimum Thicknesses and Material Requirements for Composite Pavements

U.K. Pavement Design Guide

• Class 1 ≥ 50 MPa (7,252 psi)

H asphalt = −16.05 × ( L og ( N ) ) + 101× L og ( N ) + 45.08

Hasphalt = asphalt thickness (mm) (for 50 MSA < N < 80 MSA)

Table 4. Properties of CBM

ε PERMISSIBLE = maximum strain at bottom of CTB layer

Composite Pavement Performance

Reflective cracks are undesirable in a composite pavement structure as they tend to

The proposed Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) mentions the

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TnDOT) uses the AASHTO method to

To understand the technical advantages of composite pavements, a technical evaluation

Designed Composite Pavement Structures

Table 6. Parameters Used for the Design of Composite Structures

Figure 3. Comparison of All Designed Composite Pavement Structures

• Surface course: HMA layer: 175 mm (7 in) thickness

Distress Transfer Functions

Nf = number of load repetitions to fatigue cracking