Example Rehabilitation Design Report

Demonstration of Rubicon Toolbox

Features

November 2006

PREPARED BY:
Modelling and Analysis Systems CC.
PO Box 882
Cullinan
1000
+27 12 734 0062
www.modsys1.com
info@modsys1.com

Table of Contents, Lists of Figures and Tables

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

Introduction ......................................................................................... 1
1.1.
Background to Rubicon Toolbox ........................................................ 1
1.2.
Structure of Rubicon Toolbox ............................................................ 1
1.3.
Context of the report........................................................................ 2

2.

Pavement History ................................................................................. 4

3.

Visual Assessment ................................................................................ 5

4.

Rutting Measurements ......................................................................... 7

5.

Roughness Measurements.................................................................. 10

6.

Trial Pit Information........................................................................... 11

7.

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests .......................................... 17

8.

Analysis of Deflections ....................................................................... 22

9.

Backcalculation of Layer Stiffness...................................................... 24

10.

Summary of Pavement Condition and Uniform ....................................

Section Identification ......................................................................... 27
10.1. Condition Assessment..................................................................... 27
10.2. Uniform Sections............................................................................ 28

11.

Rehabilitation Design Considerations ................................................ 31

12.

References.......................................................................................... 37

Appendix A:

Photographic Log ................................................................. 38

Appendix B:

Trial Pit Reports.................................................................... 41

Appendix C:

Grading Analyses.................................................................. 45

Appendix D:

DCP results ........................................................................... 49

Table of Contents, Lists of Figures and Tables

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1:

Estimated Current Pavement Situation from As-Built Drawings ................................. 4

Figure 2:

Summary of Visual Distresses on Westbound Lane .................................................. 6

Figure 3:

Rutting and Roughness......................................................................................... 8

Figure 4:

Comparison of Rutting Data across the Four Lanes.................................................. 9

Figure 5:

Comparison of Roughness Data across the Four Lanes .......................................... 10

Figure 6:

Trial Pit at Station 1 (Compiled using the Multiple Trial Pit Tool)............................. 12

Figure 7:

Summary of Layer Thickness from Trial Pits ......................................................... 14

Figure 8:

Example Grading Report ..................................................................................... 15

Figure 9:

DCP at Kilometre 5 ............................................................................................. 18

Figure 10:

Summary of DCP results ..................................................................................... 21

Figure 11:

Summary of Deflection Bowl Parameters .............................................................. 23

Figure 12:

Summary of Backcalculation Results .................................................................... 26

Figure 13:

Pavement Condition Summary............................................................................. 29

Figure 14:

Structural Capacity Evaluation using Standard Axle Tool ........................................ 33

Figure 15:

Sensitivity Analysis of Rehabilitation Option 1 ....................................................... 34

Figure 16:

Comparison of Structural Capacity of Rehabilitation Options 1 and 2....................... 35

Figure 17:

Structural Capacity Evaluation using AASHTO Tool ................................................ 36

ii

Table of Contents, Lists of Figures and Tables

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1:

Legend for Visual Condition Index Interpretation .................................................... 5

Table 2:

Summary of Rutting Data ..................................................................................... 7

Table 3:

Summary of Roughness Data in Slow Lane ........................................................... 10

Table 4:

Parameter Specifications for Evaluating Trial Pits .................................................. 13

Table 5:

Summary of Material Gradings ............................................................................ 16

Table 6:

Summary of DCP Parameters .............................................................................. 19

Table 7:

Legend for DCP Derived CBR and DSN800 Interpretation....................................... 20

Table 8:

Legend for Interpretation of Deflection Bowl Parameters ....................................... 22

Table 9:

Statistical Parameters for Maximum Deflection and Base Layer Index ..................... 22

Table 10:

Backcalculation Setup and Assumptions ............................................................... 25

Table 11:

Legend for Backcalculated Stiffness Interpretation ................................................ 25

Table 12:

Statistical Summary of Backcalculation Results...................................................... 25

Table 13:

Uniform Section Summary (Km 0 to 17) ............................................................... 30

iii

Introduction

1.

INTRODUCTION

Rubicon Toolbox is a software package that is reliable, practical and cost-effective,

and adds value to user's day-to-day operations. It is ideally suited to users who are
involved in the design of roads for new construction or rehabilitation, or are asset
managers responsible for road condition evaluation and documentation of design
results. The main aims of the Rubicon Toolbox software are to:
Equip users with state-of-the-art pavement design and analysis technology that
is easy to use, cost effective and backed by excellent user support;
Increase the productivity of users by streamlining and standardizing the design
methodology and the documentation of the design and analysis data;
Ensure that consistent standards and criteria are applied to all design and
rehabilitation projects undertaken, and
Ensure the technological edge by adding probabilistic capabilities to the design
approach.
One of the primary applications of Rubicon Toolbox is in rehabilitation design,
analysis and reporting. This report demonstrates some of the features of Rubicon
Toolbox suitable to such analyses.

1.1.

BACKGROUND TO RUBICON TOOLBOX

The Rubicon Toolbox design and analysis tools result from more than a decade of
involvement in pavement rehabilitation projects, coupled with close interaction with
some of the worlds leading pavement researchers and design practitioners. Rubicon
Toolboxs pavement design tools are built to strike an appropriate balance between
emerging technology and established practices. In particular, Rubicon Design and
Analysis Tools steer away from a recipe approach to structural pavement design, and
instead allow engineers to perform an in-depth analysis of expected pavement
behaviour, including a multi-criteria assessment of likely pavement structural
capacity. As such, Rubicon Toolbox is ideal for the intermediate to advanced
pavement design practitioner operating in various parts of the globe.
The vision behind the Rubicon software was to achieve a fundamental shift in the
quality and sophistication levels of the pavement design software that was available
for the road building industry. Reliability, practicality and ease-of-use are some of
the core design criteria. At MAS, we regard our software users as our partners, and
actively strive to obtain feedback from clients in order to ensure constant evolution
and improvement of our products and services. We also remain actively involved in
research and practice, thereby ensuring that our software remains abreast with new
developments and findings.

1.2.

STRUCTURE OF RUBICON TOOLBOX

Rubicon Toolbox is programmed in the powerful Microsoft .NET framework and

allows users to build their own toolbox of pavement design and analysis tools.
Rubicon Toolbox is then the main platform from which tools such as the Data Viewer
and Layered Elastic Design Tools are launched. Tools can be licensed and added to
the toolbox in a modular fashion. Utilizing the flexibility of the Microsoft .NET
framework, Rubicon Toolbox also allows easy and frequent upgrading via the
internet. Upgrades are typically released on a five to six monthly basis, and include
new tools as well as improved versions of existing tools. Apart from comprehensive
help files, tutorials are also released periodically to ensure users can attain optimal
productivity within a short time.
1

Introduction

Rubicon Toolbox incorporates a Windows Explorer style project management

interface which allows users to create and manage folders for different project facets
such as different lanes, different subsections, etc.
All of the Rubicon Toolbox modules incorporate a detailed reporting function, which
allows users to directly import design and analysis reports into related
documentation (either in hardcopy or softcopy format). Design and analysis reports
are designed to explicitly combine all assumptions and outputs in a compact, yet
neat, report format, thereby allowing analysis results to be communicated to clients
and peers in an impressive and cost effective manner. Examples of such reports are
shown in this document.
More information on general aspects of Rubicon Toolbox is available on
www.modsys1.com.

1.3.

CONTEXT OF THE REPORT

This document provides an example of the use of Rubicon Toolbox to perform a

rehabilitation analysis and compile a rehabilitation report. The purpose is to
highlight many of the Rubicon Toolbox features that are available and useful for such
a report.
This document has been compiled from examples of various rehabilitation projects,
the data of which are randomly used throughout the document. There is therefore
no flow to the data, and information shown in different tables and figures should not
be compared, as they are most likely not from the same data source. In some
cases, the same data are shown using two different layouts or graphs. This is
merely to demonstrate the various options. Also, some of the ways in which the
data are presented may not be suited to all rehabilitation reports. The purpose of
including it is to demonstrate the Rubicon Toolbox feature.
The blue boxes
highlight the
Rubicon Toolbox
Tools and features
that are discussed
in more detail in
the text.

The blue boxes on the left hand side of pages briefly highlight the Rubicon Toolbox
Tools and features that were used. In the text, a more detailed explanation is given
of how the analysis was set up using Rubicon Toolbox, and the various features are
discussed. The explanations do not include specific instructions for actually using
the software; those can be obtained from the Help files, the tutorials or by attending
courses. In the text, links to information on our website and specific tutorials that
may be useful are provided. Rubicon Toolbox has an extensive Help feature. Should
you actually use the software to perform analyses similar to those presented in this
report, much useful information can be obtained from the Help files.
One of the major advantages of Rubicon Toolbox is the ease of generating and
printing report-ready summaries directly from the relevant tools. Typically there are
two options for the layout of a report, one has a title block and logo and the in the
other a block is drawn around the report. The first is useful for stand alone reports
and appendices and the second is more useful in the main body of the report
because the titles are not duplicated in the title block and in the figure name.
Reports can be printed directly to a printer, which includes Adobe Acrobat to write a
pdf file, or they can be copied to other software applications, such as Microsoft
Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
This report should not be viewed as a template for rehabilitation design. Technical
discussion has been excluded from the report. However, each section contains a
one-paragraph description of the kind of technical discussion that should be
included. This paragraph is shown in italics, as demonstrated in the next paragraph.

Introduction

In a typical rehabilitation report, this Introduction section would include a brief

introduction to, and description of, the project. The purpose of the analyses
(project brief) contained in the report would also be described. The road number
and the exact kilometre stations should also be provided.
Rubicon Toolbox currently has no tools for traffic analysis, and there is therefore no
chapter in this report on traffic analysis. This however, would be an important part
of any rehabilitation analysis.

Pavement History

2.

PAVEMENT HISTORY

In this section, the following aspects should be briefly discussed:

Location and length of the road
History of the pavement
Existing pavement structure (shown in a figure)
Climate and rainfall
The Pavement Structure Definition Tool is useful to draw a schematic of the existing
pavement structure, as shown in Figure 1. The primary purpose of the Pavement
Structure Definition Tool is to define pavement structures that are then used in
analyses using other tools.
When defining a pavement structure, the individual pavement layers are defined
using the geometry of the layer, the material type and the failure criterion (transfer
function) appropriate for the particular material. The materials and failure criteria
are defined and stored in the defaults database, which is accessible by all projects
in Rubicon Toolbox. The defaults database includes a list of predefined materials
and failure criteria, particularly those relevant to the South African Mechanisticempirical Design Method. However, new materials and failure criteria can be easily
defined and added to the defaults database. The materials and failure criteria are
defined using the Materials and Failure Criteria Customizing feature.
There are three tutorials available at www.modsys1.com for setting up materials,
failure criteria and defining pavement structures:
Adding or editing materials
Adding or editing criteria
Defining a pavement structure

This pavement
structure was
drawn using
the Pavement
Structure
Definition
Tool.

Figure 1:

Estimated
Drawings

Current

Pavement

Situation

from

As-Built

Visual Assessment

3.
The best way to
present visual
assessment data
is using the
Data Viewer
Tool.

VISUAL ASSESSMENT

This section should contain discussion on the following aspects:

Method of visual assessment
Presentation of visual assessment results
Criteria used to evaluate visual assessment
Reference to a photo log, which is usually contained in an Appendix (See
Appendix A)
Comments on interpretation of the results
One of the best ways to present visual assessment data is using strip maps, which
are drawn using the Data Viewer Tool. This tool is very powerful, and there are
several examples in this report of strip maps drawn using the tool.
An example of a set of visual assessment strip maps is shown Figure 2. In the
figure, two strip types are used, the Visual Assessment strip and the Bar strip. With
the Visual Assessment strip, the degree data are assigned a colour, using the
Category Sets Customizing feature of Rubicon Toolbox. The extent data is used to
determine what percentage of the area should be shaded with colour. In the
example in Figure 2, extent 1 shows 5% of the area shaded and extent 5 shows
70% of the area shaded. The colours and percentages are selected by the user.
The visual condition index is plotted using a Bar strip. The colours used to interpret
the data are shown in Table 1. These interpretation categories are set up using the
Category Set Customizing feature.

This legend is set

up using the
Category Sets
Customizing
Tool and is used
for interpretation
of data and
analysis results.

Table 1:

Legend for Visual Condition Index Interpretation

Category for
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor

VCI
> 85
70 to 85
50 to 70
35 to 50
< 35

Category Sets are saved in the defaults database and can therefore be used by any
project in Rubicon Toolbox. The colours and limits are selected by the user and up
to 5 categories are available. It is not necessary to use interpretation settings as
shown in Figure 2. In that case, all the data will be plotted using the same colour,
which can be selected by the user. A tutorial, Adding or Editing Category Sets, is
available on www.modsys1.com to explain how to set up Category Sets.
A tutorial, Data Viewer, Part 1 is available on www.modsys1.com. Several more
tutorials on the Data Viewer are planned and will be added to the website as they
become available.
Data for use in the Data Viewer Tool are stored in a Microsoft Access Database. This
allows for great flexibility in storing the data and in filtering the data so only the
relevant data are plotted. The Access database needs to be set up by the user, but
it is not subject to any specific template or requirements for using with Rubicon
Toolbox. A tutorial called Introduction to Databases for Use with the Data Viewer
Tool is available on www.modsys1.com.

Visual Assessment

This strip map is drawn using

the Data Viewer Tool.
The visual assessment data are
drawn using a Visual
Assessment Strip. The
shaded areas are calculated
from the degree and extent
data. The colour is determined
by the degree and the extent is
the percentage of area shaded.
The colours and percentages
assigned to the degree and
extent data are fully
customizable using the
Category Sets Customizing
feature. The visual condition
index data are drawn using a
Bar Strip.

Figure 2:

Summary of Visual Distresses on Westbound Lane

Rutting Measurements

4.

RUTTING MEASUREMENTS

This section presents the rutting measurements. The following aspects should be
presented:
Method and date of measurement of rutting data
Rutting data (typically in graphical format)
Statistical summary of data
Criteria used to evaluate rutting data
Observations on pavement performance based on rutting data
In this section, the rutting data are presented using strip maps drawn using the Data
Viewer Tool and the High-low Comparer Tool. Figure 3 shows strip maps of the
variation in rutting and roughness in the left wheel path over the section length. The
strip map was drawn using the Data Viewer Tool. The rutting data itself is shown
using a Bar strip, and the 85th percentiles are shown using a Statistics strip. In
selecting a statistics strip, the statistic shown is selected from a range, such as:
mean, minimum, maximum, median and a variety of percentiles. The segment
length across which the statistic is determined is controlled by the user. The station
position is shown using a Ruler strip.
The colours assigned to the bars in the bar strip and the statistics summary in the
statistics strip are determined using a Category Set, which was discussed in the
previous chapter.
In Figure 3 the Station is shown with a grey background. The user can determine
the background and data colours, and can control the strip size, font size and type,
marker size or bar width, and the gridlines.
When a strip map such as that shown in Figure 3 is open, it is possible to view a
statistical summary of the data in the strip, or in a sub-segment of the strip. Such a
process can be used to obtain the statistics shown in Table 2.
Table 2:
If your data are
shown in a strip
map, for example
Figure 3, these
statistics can by
easily obtained
using the
Descriptive
Statistics feature in
the Data Viewer.

Summary of Rutting Data

Statistical Parameter
Median
Mean
80th percentile
85th percentile
90th percentile
95th percentile
Severe (> 20 mm)
Warning (10 - 20 mm)
Sound (< 10 mm)

Left Wheel Path Rut

(mm)
7.7
8.6
13.5
14.7
16.3
18.1
6.5%
33.4%
60.1%

Rutting Measurements

This strip map is

drawn using the Data
Viewer Tool. The
data are shown using
Bar Strips, and the
85th percentiles are
drawn using a
Statistics Strip.
The colours are
determined by
defining a Category
Set. The kilometre
positions are shown
using a Ruler strip.

Figure 3:

Rutting and Roughness

Rutting Measurements

The data shown in Figure 4 were drawn using the High-Low Comparer Tool. The
statistics used for the graph are selected by the user from a range of options. The
statistical summary underneath the graphs shows the three statistics used in the
graph, and an additional two statistics, which are also selected by the user. The
colours and size of the markers in the graph are customizable, as is the format of the
titles and statistical summary. The High-Low Comparer Tool is also useful to show
the change in the condition of a road or road network over time by plotting different
years along the horizontal axis.

This graph is
drawn using the
High-Low
Comparer Tool.
The statistics
shown in the plot
and summary are
user-selected.

Figure 4:

Comparison of Rutting Data across the Four Lanes

Roughness Measurements

5.

ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENTS

In the presentation of the roughness measurements, the following aspects should be

presented and discussed:
Method and date of measurement of roughness data
Roughness data
Statistical summary of data
Criteria used to evaluate data
Observations on pavement performance based on roughness
The Rubicon Toolbox tools and features used in this chapter are the same as the
previous chapter therefore, please refer to the discussion in the previous chapter.
The High-low Comparer plot in Figure 5 is shown using different formatting than
Figure 4. This is done to show the different formatting features, however it is
recommended that within one report the formatting is kept constant.
Table 3:
If your data are
shown in a strip
map, for example
Figure 3, these
statistics can by
easily obtained
using the
Descriptive
Statistics feature in
the Data Viewer.

Summary of Roughness Data in Slow Lane

Statistical Parameter
Median
Mean
80th percentile
85th percentile
90th percentile
95th percentile
Severe (> 3.5)
Warning (2.9 3.5)
Sound (< 2.9)

Left Wheel IRI (mm)

Northbound
Southbound
1.8
1.8
2.1
2.0
2.7
2.5
2.9
2.7
3.4
3.0
4.2
3.6
9.3%
5.6%
6.5%
6.3%
84.2%
88.1%

This graph is
drawn using the
High-Low
Comparer Tool.
The statistics
shown in the plot
and summary are
user-selected.

Figure 5:

Comparison of Roughness Data across the Four Lanes

10

Trial Pit Information

6.

There are three

Rubicon Toolbox
Tools useful for
processing and
reporting trial pit
data:
Trial Pit Report
Multiple Trial Pit
Report
Grading
Comparer Tool

TRIAL PIT INFORMATION

The trial pit data are one of the most important aspects of a rehabilitation analysis.
The technical discussion should focus on:
Presentation of trial pit reports, which are often included in an Appendix (see
Appendix B)
Observations of key conclusions
Conclusions regarding the classification of materials
Identification of potentially weak or problem layers in the pavement structure
There are three Rubicon Toolbox tools for processing and presenting trial pit results,
firstly the Trial Pit Report, secondly the Multiple Trial Pit Report and thirdly, the
Grading Comparer Tools.
The Trial Pit Report Tool is useful when there are only one or two trial pits. The data
are entered directly into Rubicon Toolbox, and any information can be entered for
each layer. The layout, order and type of information can vary for each layer. The
legends are user-selected.
The Multiple Trial Pit Report Tool is useful when several trial pits were opened and
need to be analysed. The data are entered into a template using Microsoft Excel and
then imported into Rubicon Toolbox. Because of the use of a template, the layout of
the data for each layer needs to be the same. Up to 9 fields of data can be used.
With the Multiple Trial Pit Report it is also possible to include a photograph, as
illustrated in Figure 6. It is also possible to highlight data, as shown with the red
highlighted moisture results in Figure 6. To highlight data, the user marks the cell in
the template. If the highlighting feature is used, it is recommended to include a
table such as Table 4 to clearly show how the data were evaluated. Appendix B
contains more examples of trial pit reports.
Another feature of the Multiple Trial Pit Report Tool is the Summary View. An
example of this is shown in Figure 7. The Summary View shows the profiles of each
trial pit. Annotations can be added to highlight specific aspects, as shown with the
blue and red dots in Figure 7. Background profiles can also be shown to either
indicate the expected layer thicknesses, which typically come from the as-built
records, or to show treatment/recycling depths.
The third tool related to trial pits is the Grading Comparer Tool. This tool allows the
presentation and summary of grading results. An example of a grading report is
shown in Figure 8. The data are again entered using a Microsoft Excel template, and
then imported into Rubicon Toolbox. The grading limits used to evaluate the grading
are included in the template, and therefore the user can select which specifications
to include. The grading report shown in Figure 8 shows the grading limits and also
shades the areas outside the grading limits and illustrates the too fine and too
coarse areas. It is however possible to exclude the grading limits and the shading
from the plots. This is illustrated in Appendix C.
In Figure 8, there is a section summarizing aspects of the gradings, such as the
percentage coarse gravel, gravel, sand or silt and clay. These classifications are
defined by the user. The grading modulus, coefficient of uniformity and curvature
are calculated from the grading, and an assessment of the grading is made by
Rubicon Toolbox.

11

Trial Pit Information

The Grading Comparer Tool has a feature to export a summary of the gradings to
Microsoft Excel, as shown in Table 5. The summary can be formatting in Excel.
The trial pit and grading Microsoft Excel templates can be downloaded from
www.modsys1.com and are called Trial Pits Import Template1.xls and Grading
Comparer Template1.xls.

This trial pit report

was generated as
one of many using
the Multiple Trial
Pit Report Tool.
The legends are
selected by the user
and the information
on each layer is
according to a
template that is
customizable by the
user. The same
information is used
for each layer and
each trial pit in the
analysis, but can be
changed for
different projects.

Figure 6: Trial Pit at Station 1 (Compiled using the Multiple Trial Pit Tool)
12

Trial Pit Information

Table 4:
The material
parameter
specifications
shown in this table
are used to check
the material
compliance in the
trial pits. When a
parameter does
not meet the
specification, it is
highlighted in red,
as demonstrated in
Figure 6. This is
controlled by the
user.

Parameter Specifications for Evaluating Trial Pits

Parameter
Grading / Grading modulus
CBR@93% Mod. AASHTO
Moisture content (% of
optimum)
In-situ density (% Mod.
AASHTO)
Plasticity Index
DCP penetration rate
(mm/blow)

Base

Subbase
(G3)

Selected
layer
(G7)

Subgrade
(G8)

GM > 0.75

N/A

> 15

N/A

N/A

G3
envelope
N/A

< 100%

< 100%

< 100%

< 100%

N/A

> 95%

> 93%

> 90%

N/A
Does not
penetrate

<6

< 12

N/A

< 2.0

< 14

< 19

N/A

13

Trial Pit Information

This figure was

drawn using the
Summary View of
the Multiple Trial
Pit Report Tool.
The background
layers and
annotations can be
added for additional
information and
insight and are
selected by the

Figure 7: Summary of Layer Thickness from Trial Pits

14

Trial Pit Information

This figure was

drawn using the
Grading Comparer
Tool. The grading
and specification
limits are shown and
the non-compliant
sieve sizes are
highlighted. A
summary of the
grading features is
also given.

Figure 8: Example Grading Report

15

Trial Pit Information

Table 5:
Trial Pit
3.75 TP1
9.2 TP2a
11.72 TP3a

The summary of the

gradings is
generated by the
Grading
Comparer Tool,
and is exported to
Microsoft Excel for
formatting and
further analysis.

15.9 TP4a

18.6 TP5a

22.34 TP6a

26 TP7a

30.55 TP8a

35 TP9a

40.45 TP10a

Summary of Material Gradings

Layer
Base, 75 - 245 mm
Subbase, 245 - 410 mm
Selected, 410 - 500mm
Base, 60 - 300 mm
Base, 35 - 235 mm
Subbase, 235 - 380 mm
Selected, 380 - 576 mm
Base, 40 - 270 mm
Subbase, 270 - 445 mm
Selected, 445 - 640 mm
Base, 40 - 215 mm
Subbase, 215 - 375 mm
Selected, 375 - 580 mm
Base, 65 - 250 mm
Subbase, 250 - 400 mm
Selected, 400 - 500 mm
Base, 35 - 235 mm
Subbase, 235 - 365 mm
Selected, 365 - 515 mm
Base, 40 - 260 mm
Subbase, 260 - 420 mm
Selected, 420 - 630
Base, 35 - 225 mm
Subbase, 225 - 380 mm
Selected, 380 - 520 mm
Base, 30 - 270 mm
Subbase, 270 - 445 mm
Selected, 445 - 560 mm

Envelope Used
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G1, G2 or G3, 37.5 mm Nominal Maximum Size
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel
G4 Natural Gravel

Fit to Envelope
Too coarse on 37.5
Grading fits selected envelope
Too fine on 19; 4.75
Too coarse on 63; 53; 37.5; 19; 2; 0.425; 0.075
Too coarse on 63; 53; 37.5; 19; Too fine on 0.075
Too coarse on 53; Too fine on 19; 4.75
Too coarse on 63; 53
Too coarse on 37.5
Too coarse on 0.075
Grading fits selected envelope
Too coarse on 63; 53; 37.5; 26.5
Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Too coarse on 37.5; 26.5; 19
Too coarse on 53; Too fine on 19; 4.75
Too coarse on 53; Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Too coarse on 37.5; 26.5; 19
Too coarse on 63; 53; 37.5
Too coarse on 63; 53; Too fine on 4.75; 0.075
Too coarse on 37.5; 26.5
Too coarse on 63; 53; Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Too coarse on 63; 53; Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Grading fits selected envelope
Too fine on 4.75
Too coarse on 0.075
Too coarse on 37.5; Too fine on 0.425; 0.075
Too fine on 19; 4.75; 2
Too coarse on 53; 37.5

16

GM
2.32
2.37
2.15
2.68
2.27
2.28
2.41
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.43
2.03
1.95
2.52
2.16
2.06
2.34
2.56
2.1
2.41
1.97
1.94
2.45
2.45
2.57
2.01
2.07
2.22

Coarse Gravel (%)

18
26
8
51
36
7
17
25
23
32
29
3
4
33
5
5
32
20
14
29
3
6
24
11
23
34
6
22

Gravel (%)
48
35
42
30
29
50
46
48
52
43
39
34
27
39
46
44
31
52
41
38
28
24
43
54
49
18
30
33

Sand (%)
22
31
39
15
21
34
30
20
21
20
25
54
59
22
38
36
28
23
28
25
60
60
26
30
24
32
56
34

Silt or Clay (%)

12
8
11
4
14
9
7
7
4
5
7
9
10
6
11
15
9
5
17
8
9
10
7
5
4
16
8
11

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests

7.

DYNAMIC CONE PENETROMETER (DCP) TESTS

The technical discussion in this section should cover the following:

Presentation of DCP results, which are normally contained in an Appendix (See
Appendix D)
Comments on interpretation of the DCP results
There are three
Rubicon Toolbox
Tools useful for
processing and
reporting DCP data:
DCP Analysis
Multiple DCP
Processing
Multiple DCP
Summary

In

Rubicon Toolbox, there are three DCP related tools:

DCP Analysis
Multiple DCP Processing
Multiple DCP Summary

The DCP Analysis Tool analyzes one DCP point at a time. The data are entered via a
Microsoft Excel template, which can be downloaded from www.modsys1.com. An
example of a report from this Tool is shown in Figure 9. The report shows the
number of blows with depth, the estimated CBR with depth and a summary of the
layer properties and total penetration. The CBR is calculated based on a DCP-CBR
relationship. Several such relationships are available, and the relationship used is
shown on the report. There are several options available for plotting the estimated
CBR versus depth data, which are illustrated in Appendix D.
The Multiple DCP Processing Tool is used to import several DCP points in one
operation. The data are entered into a Microsoft Excel template, with a new sheet
for each point. When the data are imported into Rubicon Toolbox, they are then
analyzed using the DCP Analysis Tool.
The Multiple DCP Summary Tool is used to export a summary of the DCP points to
Microsoft Excel. It is possible to select which points will be exported. Once in the
Excel file, it can be formatted for a report. An example of a DCP summary is shown
in Table 6.
A tutorial is available for the DCP Tools and can be downloaded from
www.modsys1.com.
The template for importing the data is called
DCP Template1.xls and is also available on the website.
To demonstrate another use of the Data Viewer, the DSN800 and DCP derived CBR
values are shown in strip map form in Figure 10. In this figure, group titles are used
to separate the different strips into the positive and negative directions. The data
interpretation is also done by showing the various categories as the colour shaded
background rather than colouring the individual bars.
The legend for the
interpretation is shown in Table 7. Bar strips were used, which are discussed in
Chapter 4.

17

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests

This DCP report is

generated using the
DCP Analysis
Tool. There are a
few options for
printing the
Estimated CBR vs.
Depth graph and for
the analysis.

Figure 9:

DCP at Kilometre 5

18

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests

Table 6:

Summary of DCP Parameters

Depth 150 - 300 mm

This summary of
the DCP data was
generated using
the Multiple DCP
Summary Tool.
The data are
generated in
Rubicon Toolbox
and exported to
Microsoft Excel for
formatting.

PenRate2

CBR2

Depth 300 - 450 mm

PenRate3

CBR3

Depth 450 - 600 mm

PenRate4

CBR4

Depth 600 - 750 mm

PenRate5

Depth 750 - 900 mm

CBR5

PenRate6

1.97

140

1.18

140
140

Kilometer

DSN800

0.0

405

3.11

97

2.67

118

2.5

128

0.2

915

1.32

140

1.07

140

1.53

140

0.4

665

3.16

95

1.13

140

1.15

140

1.27

Depth 900 - 1050 mm

CBR6

PenRate7

2.09

140

1.33

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

CBR7
N/A

140

N/A

N/A

0.6

870

1.96

140

1.24

140

1.23

140

1.12

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.8

980

1.73

140

1.09

140

1.94

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

1.1

364

2.14

140

1.01

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

1.3

816

5.96

42

1.26

140

0.58

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

1.5

460

4.14

67

2.37

137

1.54

140

1.73

140

1.8

140

2.6

122

1.7

359

4.29

65

2.75

113

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

1.9

480

3.22

93

1.41

140

2.23

140

140

1.55

140

1.8

140

2.1

344

4.7

57

3.27

91

3.12

97

2.78

112

3.65

79

5.12

62

2.3

614

1.71

140

1.43

140

1.35

140

1.26

140

1.53

140

N/A

35

2.5

317

4.06

69

3.51

83

4.5

61

3.9

73

4.31

64

4.32

58

2.7

428

1.5

140

1.32

140

1.12

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

81

2.9

275

N/A

N/A

11.9

18

2.96

103

3.83

75

5.12

52

4.28

81

3.2

302

3.04

100

3.97

71

0.88

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

66

3.4

292

5.6

46

4.06

69

5.76

44

4.43

62

3.62

80

11.1

23

3.6

405

1.52

140

2.4

135

3.75

77

3.62

80

4.3

64

4.4

3.8

226

5.6

46

5.2

51

21.2

6.45

38

11.2

19

27.1

4.0

372

2.07

140

3.86

74

2.62

121

2.56

125

11

20

2.6

17

4.2

257

5.56

46

4.77

56

7.65

31

6.75

36

7.12

34

9.8

25

4.4

373

2.64

120

2.82

110

2.36

138

3.78

76

4.8

56

65

4.6

254

7.67

31

4.89

55

8.93

25

5.53

47

7.73

31

18.8

4.8

430

4.29

65

140

1.94

140

2.15

140

2.13

140

1.66

140

39

5.0

261

8.93

25

3.83

75

5.44

48

7.95

29

4.18

67

4.6

30

5.2

469

1.15

140

1.15

140

0.467

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

5.4

277

3.53

83

2.9

106

5.5

47

13.3

15

23

13.9

5.6

423

1.88

140

1.27

140

0.7

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

5.8

217

9.8

23

70

14.9

13

14.1

14

16

12

12.7

10

6.0

140

0.675

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

6.2

289

4.67

58

3.16

95

4.33

64

6.84

36

13.6

15

18

6.4

306

347

0.975

1.36

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

6.6

210

12

17

53

15

13

22

18

10

23

16

6.8

1276

1.53

140

1.28

140

1.07

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

45

7.0

235

6.75

36

3.8

75

6.53

38

14

14

37

24.6

7.2

244

3.65

79

3.97

71

27.8

9.7

23

33.8

12

58

7.4

260

5.6

46

3.38

87

6.52

38

8.13

29

18.8

10

18

N/A

25

5.33

49

10.1

N/A

59

N/A

12

17

7.6

286

2.64

120

22

3.2

7.8

250

3.31

90

4.33

64

10.7

20

24

12.7

16

N/A

32

8.0

280

2.9

106

3.12

96

7.75

30

10.7

20

12.4

17

6.7

42

8.2

4.6

N/A

270

4.37

63

2.4

135

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

8.4

457

1.83

140

3.91

73

1.34

140

2.09

140

5.25

50

5.15

12

8.6

217

11

20

11.7

18

9.07

25

7.45

32

10

22

N/A

N/A

75

8.8

303

1.14

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

9.0

262

102

7.05

34

8.93

25

9.25

24

4.8

56

26

N/A

9.2

317

1.46

140

0.8

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

9.4

318

2.5

128

4.75

57

3.5

84

3.88

73

5.6

46

N/A

9.6

291

4.17

67

5.3

49

4.9

54

3.71

77

5.6

46

23.4

N/A

10.0

440

1.49

140

1.58

140

3.78

76

3.44

85

6.08

41

4.4

26

10.2

260

5.6

46

4.5

61

4.91

54

7.6

31

16.4

12

19

10.4

262

3.71

77

9.33

24

5.23

50

5.72

45

11.5

18

4.67

52

10.4

219

6.75

23

10.3

21

11.1

19

7.25

33

3.6

N/A

10.6

219

6.75

36

9.6

23

10.3

21

11.1

19

7.25

33

3.6

64

10.8

385

2.98

102

2.09

140

2.07

140

4.29

65

6.12

41

4.2

N/A

11.0

36

9.6

187

22.8

24

20.3

10.3

21

16.7

11

9.8

65

11.2

290

4.14

67

2.7

116

6.2

40

35

9.33

24

6.33

N/A

11.4

199

26

9.33

24

10.7

20

16

12

10.5

21

25.6

19

11.6

294

3.75

93

4.83

42

11.8

228

23

7.75

30

7.65

31

6.88

35

7.67

31

12.0

347

2.2

140

2.38

136

5.3

49

5.17

51

3.62

80

4.25

122

12.2

190

18

10

19

10

13

16

13.5

15

19

10

28.8

23

12.4

330

3.2

94

2.86

108

4.09

69

4.4

62

4.74

57

1.33

70

12.6

213

22

11.3

19

12.5

17

7.4

32

25

7.75

10

12.8

314

1.93

140

3.5

84

45

9.47

24

11.3

19

N/A

13.0

237

12

17

42

5.5

47

7.75

30

13.5

15

28.2

59

13.2

314

1.63

140

3.71

77

7.75

30

12

17

9.5

24

N/A

N/A

13.4

212

13

16

7.33

33

9.5

24

14

14

11

20

18

14

13.6

306

102

2.64

120

5.6

46

35

13.5

15

16

N/A

13.8

221

6.5

38

42

20.2

12.7

16

17

11

20.4

16

14.0

230

3.47

84

29

13.1

16

18

10

22

N/A

N/A

14.2

260

53

6.25

40

6.2

40

29

5.6

46

13

10

14.4

348

1.43

140

102

6.35

39

7.5

32

10.5

21

5.67

N/A

14.6

320

2.5

128

102

4.37

63

6.9

35

8.2

28

12

14.8

292

2.5

128

3.46

85

5.97

42

11.5

18

12.3

17

4.67

N/A

15.0

77

3.22

5.72

55

11

20

12

62

140

351

2.94

104

1.9

140

3.62

80

5.04

53

7.24

33

N/A

15.2

336

0.955

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

17

15.4

345

14

14

4.18

67

2.5

128

2.96

103

2.08

140

7.4

10

15.6

300

2.48

129

2.96

104

5.52

47

11.7

18

10.5

21

6.07

94

15.8

289

102

70

4.8

56

9.07

25

8.67

26

3.8

N/A

16.0

288

2.55

125

3.04

100

5.9

43

15

13

27.8

16

37

16.2

281

2.73

115

0.6

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

2.91

106

1.51

140

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

16.4

2.8

111

16.6

305

5.6

46

5.33

49

2.31

140

53

5.6

46

N/A

N/A

16.8

Infinity

321

9.33

24

2.82

110

2.38

137

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

51

17.0

31.2

254

6.05

42

3.82

75

5.85

44

11.3

19

16.4

12

17.2

257

12.5

17

3.62

80

2.6

122

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

17.4

244

9.33

24

4.34

64

6.32

39

29

14

14

8.87

N/A

17.6

291

7.5

32

2.73

115

4.7

57

5.13

51

9.5

24

11.3

Average

348

5.5

81.8

4.3

87.3

6.0

71.6

7.6

52.7

10.2

41.0

11.0

43.7

Standard de

181

5.2

46.9

3.7

41.7

5.2

48.4

4.9

42.3

7.2

39.0

8.4

39.5

80th percen

383

7.4

140.0

5.3

140.0

8.9

140.0

11.4

78.2

13.9

56.8

18.0

65.8

90th percen

464

12.0

140.0

8.8

140.0

12.6

140.0

14.0

140.0

18.3

104.0

25.0

105.2

19

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests

This legend is set up

using the Category
Sets Customizing
Tool and is used for
the interpretation of
data and the
analysis of results.

Table 7:
Category
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor

Legend for DCP Derived CBR and DSN800 Interpretation

CBR
100 to 140
80 to 100
45 to 80
10 to 45
0 to 10

20

DSN800
> 540
300 - 540
240 300
150 240
< 150

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) Tests

This strip map is

drawn using the
Data Viewer
Tool.
The data are
plotted using bar
charts. The bar
colour is selected
by the user. The
background
interpretation
colour is specified
by a Category
Set.

Figure 10:

Summary of DCP results

21

Analysis of Deflections

8.

ANALYSIS OF DEFLECTIONS

In this section, the technical discussion should focus on:

Method and date of collection of deflection data
Statistical summary of deflection data
General trends shown by deflection and deflection bowl parameters
Identification of potentially weak or problem layers in the pavement structure
Before any analysis of deflections can be performed, it is often necessary to parse
the raw data files to a more useable format, such as a Microsoft Excel worksheet.
Rubicon Toolbox has two tools for parsing raw FWD data files: Parse Raw Data File
and Parse Multiple Raw Data Files. The first is useful when only one data file is
being analyzed, and the second for multiple files. As part of the parsing process, the
data can be normalized to a standard, user-selected, plate pressure.
To analyze the deflections using Rubicon Toolbox, the Data Viewer is again the
appropriate tool. An example of the type of analysis that can be done is illustrated in
Figure 11, where Bar Strips, Statistic Strips and Ruler Strips have been used. These
strip types were discussed in Chapter 4. The data are interpreted using Category
Sets, the limits and colours of which are given in Table 8.
An example of the type of table that can be used to summarize the deflections and
deflection bowl parameters is given in Table 9. The statistical parameters can be
obtained using the Data Viewer.
Table 8:
These legends are
set up using the
Category Sets
Customizing
Tool and are used
for the
interpretation of
data and the
analysis of results.

Category
Very Good (typical for 12 MESA or more)
Good (typical for 6 o 12 MESA)
Fair (typical for 3 to 6 MESA)
Poor (typical for 0.8 to 3 MESA)
Very Poor (typical for < 0.8 MESA)
Table 9:

If the deflection
data are included
in a strip map
using the Data
Viewer, these
statistics can be
easily obtained
from the Data
Viewer.

Legend for Interpretation of Deflection Bowl Parameters

Parameter
Minimum
Median
Mean
80th Percentile
85th Percentile
90th Percentile
95th Percentile
Maximum

Range for YMax

(micron)
< 260
260 to 320
320 to 400
400 to 580
> 580

Range for BLI

(micron)
< 120
120 to 160
160 to 200
200 to 320
>320

Statistical Parameters for Maximum Deflection and Base

Layer Index
YMax
(micron)
60
322
370
509
548
658
736
987

BLI (micron)
16
120
152
232
247
306
346
467

22

Analysis of Deflections

This strip map is

also drawn using
the Data Viewer.
The data are
shown using Bar
Strips, and the
80th percentiles
are drawn using a
Statistics Strip.
The colours are
determined by
defining a
Category Set.
The kilometre
positions are
shown using a
Ruler strip.

Figure 11:

Summary of Deflection Bowl Parameters

23

Backcalculation of Layer Stiffness

9.

BACKCALCULATION OF LAYER STIFFNESS

The technical discussion in this section should include the following aspects:

Pavement structure used in the back calculation. When layers are combined, the
reasons for this should be discussed.
The stiffness search ranges used in the back calculation.
The software used to do the back calculation.
Backcalculation results in graphical format.
Statistical summary of back calculation results.
Interpretation of results and conclusion regarding condition and behaviour of
pavement.

The backcalculation of layer stiffness is often given much weight in a rehabilitation

report. It is however, a complex analysis and there are no unique solutions. For
these reasons, it is particularly important to document all the assumptions and limits
used in the back calculation.
There are two
Rubicon Toolbox
Tools for
backcalculating
deflection data:
Deflection
Bowl Analysis
Tool
Backcalculation
Tool

Rubicon Toolbox has two tools for backcalculation: the Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool
and the Backcalculation Tool. In the Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool, the user can
perform manual backcalculation. This allows the user complete control over the
backcalculation process. The data are entered into a Microsoft Excel Template, and
include layer thicknesses, seed layer stiffnesses, Poissons Ratios and measured
deflections. If only the raw data from the deflection device are available, it is
necessary to parse the data, which was discussed in the previous chapter. To
perform the manual backcalculation, the template is first imported into Rubicon
Toolbox. The user then adjusts the stiffnesses until a satisfactory deflection bowl fit
is obtained. The errors are displayed in the Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool. When the
backcalculation is complete, the results can be exported to a spreadsheet in
Microsoft Excel. It is recommended that some manual backcalculations are done
before using an automated backcalculation procedure. This allows the engineer to
get a good feel for the pavement and also assists in the selection of appropriate
ranges for the stiffness search in the automated procedure.
The Backcalculation Tool of Rubicon Toolbox is used for automated backcalculation.
The data are entered into a Microsoft Excel template, and then imported into
Rubicon Toolbox. The template for the Backcalculation Tool is different to that of
the Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool. In the Backcalculation Tool template the required
data are: station, air and surface temperature, time, drop number, pressure and
deflections. There are two options for the selecting layer thicknesses. Firstly, if the
thicknesses are constant for all the deflection bowls being analyzed, then the
thicknesses can be input directly in Rubicon Toolbox. If the thicknesses vary, they
can be input into a Microsoft Excel Template. It is not necessary to have a set of
thicknesses for each deflection bowl; Rubicon Toolbox will select the closest set. An
application of the varying thicknesses option is when the thicknesses determined by
the trial pits are used in the backcalculation.
Before running the backcalculation, it is necessary to specify the stiffness search
range. This has a large impact on the results, and should therefore be clearly stated
in the report, as shown in Table 10. It is also possible to select categories to
interpret backcalculation results, as shown in Table 11. These are specified using
the Rubicon Toolbox Category Sets function, as discussed in Chapter 3. A few
analysis options relating to the errors and the number of iterations are available in
the Backcalculation Tool.
24

Backcalculation of Layer Stiffness

Once the backcalculation has been run, it is possible to view the results using the
Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool. This allows a quick assessment of the fits to each
deflection bowl. The results are then summarized, and presented in the format
12.. The Pavement Section Plot facilitates assessing weak layers in
shown in Figure 12
the pavement structure. The results can be exported to Microsoft Excel for further
analysis. A statistical summary of the results, such as Table 12, can be obtained
from the summary in Figure 12 or from Microsoft Excel.
Table 10:

Backcalculation Setup and Assumptions

Assumed Layer

The
backcalculation
search ranges
and interpretation
categories are
specified within
the
Backcalculation
Tool.

Thickness

Surfacing
Gravel Base
Granular Subbase and Selected
Upper Subgrade
Lower Subgrade
Table 11:

Legend for Backcalculated Stiffness Interpretation

Category for Stiffness

Interpretation
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
Table 12:

The
Backcalculation
Tool gives a
statistical
summary of the
backcalculation
results.

40 mm
200 mm
300 mm
1000 mm
Semi-Infinite

Backcalculation Search
Range
3000 to 4000 MPa
100 to 550 MPa
70 to 550 MPa
20 to 200 MPa
Automated Search Range

Gravel Base
> 450 MPa
250 to 450 MPa
150 to 250 MPa
100 to 250 MPa
< 100 MPa

Gravel
Subbase
> 350 MPa
200 to 350 MPa
130 to 200 MPa
90 to 130 MPa
< 90 MPa

Upper
Subgrade
> 120 MPa
90 to 120 MPa
50 to 90 MPa
30 to 50 MPa
< 30 MPa

Statistical Summary of Backcalculation Results

Statistical
Parameter
Median
20th Percentile
15th Percentile
10th Percentile

Backcalculated Stiffness (in MPa) for:

Surfacing
Base
Subbase and
Upper
Selected
Subgrade
1118
522
145
110
1000
381
102
82
1000
353
100
76
1000
325
84
73

The templates for the Deflection Bowl Analysis Tool (Bowl Import Template1.xls)
and the Backcalculation Tool (FWD Import Template1.xls and Thickness Import
Template1.xls) are available on www.modsys1.com.
There are two tutorials for backcalculation, which can be downloaded from
www.modsys1.com:

Manual backcalculation
Automated backcalculation

25

Backcalculation of Layer Stiffness

This summary of
the
backcalculation
results is
generated by the
Backcalculation
Tool.

Figure 12:

Summary of Backcalculation Results

26

Summary of Pavement Condition and

Uniform Section Identification

10. SUMMARY OF PAVEMENT CONDITION AND

UNIFORM SECTION IDENTIFICATION
In this section, the technical presentation should focus on:

This Data
Viewer is the
ideal tool for
summarizing the
pavement
condition.

Summary of the pavement condition based on the results presented in the

previous chapters.
Summary of key data in a strip map.
Selection of uniform sections from available data, and discussion of the
justification for the section selection.
Statistical summary of relevant data for each uniform section.

10.1. CONDITION ASSESSMENT

In Rubicon Toolbox, the Data Viewer Tool is the best suited to summarize the
pavement condition and the identification of uniform sections. The Data Viewer has
already been discussed in this report, but there are some features that have not yet
been presented. For completeness, some of the previous discussion is repeated.
Figure 13, demonstrates an example of a strip map drawn using the Data Viewer,
which summarizes the condition of a section. The various strip types used in the
figure are:

Ruler strip
The station range is shown using a ruler strip.

Scatter strip
The maximum deflection data are drawn using a scatter strip. The colours of the
dots are determined by the selected interpretation category.

Statistics strip
The deflection, rutting and roughness data are summarized and the 85th
percentile given for each 1 km segment using a statistics strip. Various statistics
can be used, of which the 85th percentile is just one example. The segment
length is also selected by the user.

Pavement section strip

The pavement section strip shows both the layer thickness and a parameter
related to the pavement, such as the backcalculated stiffness which is shown in
Figure 13. The colours of the stiffness are assigned by the interpretation
category.

Bar strip
The roughness, rutting and DCP data are shown using a bar strip, and the
colours of the bars are again selected according to interpretation categories.

Trial pit strip and tool link strip

The trial pit strip shows the locations at which trial pits were opened. In Rubicon
Toolbox, clicking on the location marker opens the trial pit report.
A similar strip is the Tool link strip which shows locations at which data are
available. This is particularly useful for DCP data and photos (by linking to the
Photo Logger Tool). As with the trial pit strip, clicking on the marker in the strip
map while in Rubicon Toolbox opens the relevant analysis in the linked Rubicon
Toolbox Tool.

27

Summary of Pavement Condition and

Uniform Section Identification
There are many other strip types available in Rubicon Toolbox.
information, contact info@modsys1.com or refer to www.modsys1.com.

For more

The formatting features of the Data Viewer are powerful. It is possible to adjust the
strip height, strip colours, alignment of the titles, font type and size, station range
and background colours. For example in Figure 13, the background of the Station
strips is grey to highlight the strip. By highlighting the strip is it being used as a
divider between different data types.
Data for use in the Data Viewer Tool are stored in a Microsoft Access Database. This
allows for great flexibility in storing the data and in filtering the data so only the
relevant data are plotted. The Access database needs to be set up by the user, but
it is not subject to any specific template or requirements for using with Rubicon
Toolbox. A tutorial called Introduction to Databases for use with the Data Viewer
Tool is available on www.modsys1.com.
A tutorial on the Data Viewer is available, and can be downloaded from
www.modsys1.com.

10.2. UNIFORM SECTIONS

The Data Viewer
Tool has a feature
for marking and
obtaining
statistics for
uniform sections.

In Figure 13, the section has been divided into two subsections, as indicated by the
red vertical lines. These subsections are marked using the Subsections feature of
Rubicon Toolbox. Any number of subsections can be selected, and shown on a strip
map. An additional feature is the summary of the subsection data, as illustrated in
Table 13 for the subsection from kilometre 0 to 17. The report is customizable in
that the user selects which data are shown, and which statistics are used.

28

Summary of Pavement Condition and Uniform Section Identification

This strip map is

drawn using the
Data Viewer
Tool. The strip
map is fully
customizable by
the user. In this
strip map, the
following strip
types have been
used:
Ruler
Scatter
Statistics
Pavement
section
Bar
Tool link
The vertical red
bars indicate the
uniform sections
that are identified
by the user.

Figure 13:

Pavement Condition Summary

29

Summary of Pavement Condition and Uniform Section Identification

Table 13:

Uniform Section Summary (Km 0 to 17)

This summary of
the data for a
Uniform Section
is generated using
the Data Viewer
Tool. The limits to
the uniform
sections and the
data and statistics
shown are selected
by the user.

30

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

11. REHABILITATION DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

In this section, the structural capacity (remaining life) of the existing pavement
structure should be evaluated, and rehabilitation design alternatives should be
presented.
In Rubicon Toolbox,
the following Tools
are useful for
pavement analysis
and design:
Pavement
Definition
Load setups
Standard axle
analysis
Structure
comparison
Monte-Carlo
simulation
Multiple structure
evaluation
Stress and strain
calculator
AASHTO 1986
method

There are several tools in Rubicon Toolbox that are used for structural capacity
assessment:

Pavement Definition Tool

Load Setups using the Customizing Tool
Standard Axle Analysis (Version 2)
Structure Comparison
Monte-Carlo Simulation
Multiple Structure Evaluation
Stress and Strain Calculator
1986 AASHTO Method

The Pavement Definition Tool was discussed in Chapter 2. It is necessary to use this
tool to define the pavement structure for use in the majority of the other tools listed
above.
The definition of loads is done using the Load Setup Customizing feature. This
works in a similar manner to the Materials, Failure Criteria and Category Sets
features in that the definition is saved externally to the Rubicon Toolbox project and
is therefore accessible to all projects. A tutorial is available for setting up loads, and
can be downloaded from www.modsys1.com.
The Standard Axle Analysis Tool is used to run a linear elastic pavement evaluation.
The pavement structure and load setup are selected from previously defined options.
It is possible to analyse pavements using more than one phase, as is necessary for
cemented materials using the South African Mechanistic-empirical Design Method
(SAMDM). Figure 14 shows a report from the Standard Axle Analysis Tool. In the
report, in the left hand side, the pavement structure and load setup are detailed,
with all the assumptions clearly stated to ensure transparency. On the right hand
side, the analysis outputs are given and includes the design parameter (e.g. the
vertical compressive strain), the position at which the design parameter is critical,
the axle capacity determined using the selected transfer function (specified in the
pavement structure definition), and the cumulative damage in the layer. The total
pavement capacity and the pavement capacity of the particular phase are
summarized in the header information on the report. A separate report is generated
for each phase analysed. A tutorial is available for the Standard Axle Tool, and can
be downloaded from www.modsys1.com.
In the Monte-Carlo Simulation Tool a sensitivity analysis on a selected pavement
structure can be run. This highlights the sensitivity of a pavement structure to
variations in the material properties. A distribution is assigned to the layer thickness
and stiffness in the Pavement Definition Tool. An example of the output from an
analysis run using the Monte-Carlo Simulation Tool is given in Figure 15. It is not
likely that the results from this Tool would be shown in a rehabilitation report, but it
is very useful for behind the scenes pavement analyses.

31

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

The Structure Comparison Tool is used to compare two pavement structures, which,
for example, is useful for evaluating changes in layer thickness. The structures are
compared in terms of the critical design parameter associated with each layer. The
analysis and output from the Structure Comparison Tool would not typically be
included in a rehabilitation report, but is however useful for demonstrating the effect
of changing a pavement structure and may be useful in a presentation to the client.
An example of a Structure Comparison Tool Report is given in Figure 16.
The Multiple Structure Evaluation Tool evaluates multiple pavement structures in a
single operation. The pavements are input into a Microsoft Excel template and then
imported into Rubicon Toolbox. Once the load is selected the calculation is run. The
output resembles that of the Standard Axle Analysis Tool in that a report like that
shown in Figure 14 is generated for each pavement structure. This tool is useful for
the forward calculation of backcalculation results to determine the remaining life of a
road section. The template for the tool (Structure Import Template1.xls) can be
downloaded from www.modsys1.com.
The 1986 AASHTO Design Tool analyses a pavement structure defined using the
Pavement Definition Tool and using the AASHTO design method. This provides a
useful comparison with the linear elastic design methods. A report from this Tool is
shown in Figure 17.
The Stress and Strain Calculator Tool calculates stresses and strains at various
evaluation points in a pavement structure. The pavement structure to be used is
defined using the Pavement Definition Tool, and the load set up is defined using the
Load Setup Customizing feature. The desired evaluation locations are entered into a
Microsoft Excel template and then imported into Rubicon Toolbox. After the stresses
and strains have been calculated, they can be viewed in Rubicon Toolbox, or
exported to Microsoft Excel.
The template (Evaluation Position Import
Template1.xls) is available at www.modsys1.com.

32

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

This pavement
design report is
generated using
the Standard
Axle Tool. All
the relevant
assumptions and
design information
are included.
Similar reports are
generated with
the Multiple
Structure
Comparison
Tool.

Figure 14:

Structural Capacity Evaluation using Standard Axle Tool

33

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

This statistical
analysis of a
pavement is done
using the MonteCarlo Simulation
Tool, which is
used to evaluate
the effect of a
normal distribution
of the layer
thicknesses and
stiffnesses on the
design parameters
and pavement life.

Figure 15:

Sensitivity Analysis of Rehabilitation Option 1

34

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

This comparison
of two pavement
structures was
developed using
the Structure
Comparison
Tool. A MonteCarlo simulation
of each pavement
structure is run
and the resulting
stresses and
strains are
compared.

Figure 16:

Comparison of Structural Capacity of Rehabilitation Options

1 and 2

35

Rehabilitation Design Considerations

This design
report was
generated using
the AASHTO
Design Tool
(1986 Method).

Figure 17:

Structural Capacity Evaluation using AASHTO Tool

36

References

12. REFERENCES
In a typical report, the list of references cited would be included in this section.

There are a few options for help when using Rubicon Toolbox:
Contact MAS by email (technical@modsys1.com) or phone (012-734 0062 from
South Africa or +27 12 734 0062 from outside South Africa). This option is only
available for clients that have bought Rubicon Toolbox and pay maintenance.
Refer to the extensive help files in Rubicon Toolbox.
Download and work through the available tutorials from www.modsys1.com. The
tutorials are listed below.

Tutorials
Customizing Features in Rubicon Toolbox
Adding or Editing Failure Criteria for Pavement Layers (Adding or Editing Criteria1
V.1.0)
Adding or Editing Materials for Pavement Layers (Adding or Editing Materials1
V.1.0)
Adding or Editing Category Sets (Adding or Editing Categories1 V1.0)
Pavement Structure Definition Tool
Defining a Pavement Structure (Pavement Structure Tutorial1 V.1.0)
Layered Elastic Tools
LET: Standard Axle Analysis (Standard Axle Analysis Tutorial1 V1.0.)
Deflection Analysis Tools
Deflection Bowl Analysis (Manual Backcalc Tutorial 1 V1.0)
Automated Backcalculation using the Backcalculation
Backcalculation1 V1.0)

Tool

(Automated

DCP Tools
DCP Tutorial V.2
Photo Logger Tool
Photo Logger Tool (Photo logger1 V1.0)
Data Viewer Tool
Data Viewer, Part 1 (Data Viewer, Part 1, V1.0)
Background to Databases
Introduction to Databases for Use with the Data Viewer Tool (Intro to Microsoft
Access1 V1.0)

37

Appendix A: Photographic Log

APPENDIX A:

PHOTOGRAPHIC LOG

This photographic log was printed using the Photo Logger Tool.
This tool stores both photographs and videos. The files are stored
in the Rubicon Toolbox project file, which means that when
transferring the project to another computer it is not necessary to
also copy all the photograph and video files.
Links to the photos or videos can be included in a strip map using
the Data Viewer Tool. This is useful to show the stations at which
photographic records are available and by clicking on the icon in the
strip map, the photograph or video can be viewed.

38

Station: 0.5 ( Left to rt )

Description: Two lanes in westbound direction, one in
eastbound direction

Station: 1 ( Left to rt )
Description: Paved shoulders

Road Section X555

Photographs
A-1
Rubicon Toolbox: Photo Logger / Ver: 2.5.8 / (Licenced)

Station: 1 ( Travel dir )

Description: Paved shoulders

Station: 2.5 ( Travel dir )

Description: Water ponding on unpaved shoulder

Road Section X555

Photographs
A-2
Rubicon Toolbox: Photo Logger / Ver: 2.5.8 / (Licenced)

Appendix B: Trial Pit Reports

APPENDIX B:

TRIAL PIT REPORTS

These trial pit reports were developed using the Multiple Trial Pit
Report Tool, which allows multiple trial pits to be processed in one
operation. The data are entered into a template and then imported
into Rubicon Toolbox. The user has control over the type of data
included in the template.
Links to the trial pits can be included in a strip map using the Data
Viewer Tool. This is useful to show the stations at which trial pits
were opened and by clicking on the icon in the strip map, the trial
pit report can be viewed.

41

Appendix B: Trial Pit Reports

42

Appendix B: Trial Pit Reports

43

Appendix B: Trial Pit Reports

44

Appendix C: Grading Analyses

APPENDIX C:

GRADING ANALYSES

The grading reports shown in this Appendix were compiled using the
Grading Comparer Tool. This tool is completely customizable in
that the grading specifications are input by the user. The reports
show the same two gradings plotted using the various options
available for printing.

45

Appendix C: Grading Analyses

46

Appendix C: Grading Analyses

47

Appendix C: Grading Analyses

48

Appendix D: DCP Results

APPENDIX D: DCP RESULTS

This Appendix contains DCP reports that were generated using both
the DCP Analysis Tool and Multiple DCP Processing Tool. The
same DCP test point is shown in the three reports, and various
options for printing the results are illustrated.
Links to the DCP tests can be included in a strip map using the Data
Viewer Tool. This is useful to show the stations at which DCP
tests are available and by clicking on the icon in the strip map, the
DCP summary report can be viewed.

49

Appendix D: DCP Results

50

Appendix D: DCP Results

51

Appendix D: DCP Results

52