Evaluation of the Effects of Canadian Climatic Conditions on Pavement Performance Using the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide

This thesis attempts to explore the implementation of the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) in Canada, specifically in Alberta. In order to achieve this goal, quality of Canadian climate data files used for the MEPDG and its effects on flexible pavement performance were evaluated. Results showed that temperature and precipitation data used in the MEPDG are close to Environment Canada data. This study demonstrated that asphalt concrete rutting, total rutting and longitudinal cracking were sensitive to Canadian climate. However, alligator cracking, transverse cracking and International Roughness Index (IRI) were found less sensitive to climatic factors.;In addition, this study compared Alberta Transportation Pavement Design (ATPD) method and the MEPDG. Comparison results revealed that pavement performance (IRI) is quite close (< 8% difference) using these two methods. According to the MEPDG, pavement designed by the ATPD method underestimates pavement thickness at poor subgrade and high traffic conditions.