Evaluation of predictive material models used in the new Swedish mechanistic-empirical design module

In order to perform thickness design of flexible pavements based on the hot mix asphalt (HMA) fracture mechanics framework prior to construction, the tensile strength and creep power law parameters of the mixture has to be determined. As samples are normally not available in the design stage, these properties will have to be modelled rather than determined in a laboratory. This paper evaluates material models based on the relationship between dynamic (complex) modulus and creep compliance in order to predict tensile strength and creep power law parameters for a mixture. For this evaluation, fourteen field sections from the United States have been used for verification and the results indicate that the crack resistance of a mixture can indeed be estimated without a development of extensive empirical relations between mixture properties and crack-resistance.