UNIVERSITY OF BALAMAND

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

Civil Engineering Department

CIVE456 – Fundamentals of Road Construction

Project Title: Pavement Condition Index (PCI) Report

Student Name: Ali Abbas

Student ID: A1610909

Instructors Name: Dr. Edwina Saroufim

Semester: Fall 2019 – 2020

Date of Submission: Thursday, January 9, 2020

 CIVE456 – Fundamentals of Road Construction

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2
List of Figures 3
List of Tables 4
Section I – Project Introduction 5
1.1 General Introduction 5
Section II – Types of Distresses 6
2.1 Alligator Cracks 6
2.2 Longitudinal and Transversal Cracks 7
2.3 Patching 7
2.4 Potholes 8
Section III – Pavement Condition Index (PCI) Analysis 9
3.1 Considered Roadway 9
3.2 Roadway – Section 1 Analysis 13
3.3 Roadway – Section 2 Analysis 15
3.3 Roadway – Section 3 Analysis 17
Section IV – Conclusions 19
4.1 Conclusions 19
4.2 List of References 19
Appendix A – Deduct Value Curves for Asphalt 20
Appendix B – Encountered Roadway Distresses 25

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List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Standard PCI Rating Scale. 5

Figure 2.1 Low Severity Alligator Cracks. 6
Figure 2.2 Low Severity Longitudinal and Transversal Cracks. 7
Figure 2.3 Low Severity Patching. 8
Figure 2.4 Low Severity Potholes. 8
Figure 3.1 Considered 1.7 km Roadway. 9
Figure 3.2 Roadway Section 1. 9
Figure 3.3 Roadway Section 2. 10
Figure 3.4 Roadway Section 3. 10
Figure 3.5 Point A Coordinates. 11
Figure 3.6 Point B Coordinates. 11
Figure 3.7 Point C Coordinates. 12
Figure 3.8 Point D Coordinates. 12
Figure 3.9 Roadway Section 1 – View 1. 13
Figure 3.10 Roadway Section 1 – View 2. 13
Figure 3.11 Roadway Section 2 – View 1. 15
Figure 3.12 Roadway Section 2 – View 2. 15
Figure 3.13 Roadway Section 3 – View 1. 17
Figure 3.14 Roadway Section 3 – View 2. 17
Figure B.1 Encountered Patching. 25
Figure B.2 Encountered Transversal Crack. 25
Figure B.3 Encountered Potholes. 26

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List of Tables

Table 3.1 Point Latitude and Longitude Coordinates. 11

Table 3.2 Roadway Section 1 Analysis. 14
Table 3.3 Roadway Section 2 Analysis. 16
Table 3.4 Roadway Section 3 Analysis. 18

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Section I – Project Introduction

1.1 General Introduction

This report covers the complete distress analysis of a roadway section specified in the

following sections of this report. The analysis method is based on the pavement condition

index (PCI) in accordance with ASTM D6433 – 18. The Pavement condition index is a

numerical index that varies between 0 and 100 that indicates the general condition of a

pavement as seen in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 – Standard PCI Rating Scale.

This practice covers the determination of roads through visual surveys using the pavement

method of quantifying pavement conditions. It was developed by the US army and adopted

by the Department of Defense and the American Public Works Association.

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Section II – Types of Distresses

2.1 Alligator Cracks

It is constantly important to survey roadways to create a detailed assessment of the overall

condition. This is done by the implementation of pavement distresses and they are an

indication of poor or unfavorable pavement performance or signs of impending failure; any

unsatisfactory performance of a pavement short of failure.

The alligator cracks are common types of cracks in asphalt pavement. They are fatigue cracks

due to problems in the subbase and base layers beneath the asphalt as seen in Figure 2.1. The

best solutions are to remove the damaged asphalt or rebuild the foundation and install new

pavement.

Figure 2.1 – Low Severity Alligator Cracks.

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2.2 Longitudinal and Transversal Cracks

Longitudinal Cracks are cracks that occur parallel to the centerline of the pavement. The

causes are due to poorly constructed joints, heavy loading and longitudinal segregation due to

improper paver operation. Transversal cracks are unconnected cracks that run across a road

pavement perpendicular to the direction of the road as seen in Figure 2.2. Transversal cracks

are caused by reflection due to an existing crack and shrinkage of the asphalt layer due to low

temperature. Potential solutions include thin overlay or crack seals.

Figure 2.2 – Low Severity Longitudinal and Transversal Cracks.

2.3 Patching

The third pavement distress sign is patching and although patching is a common method of

treating localized distress, a patch is considered a defect no matter how well it is performing.

They are therefore considered temporary emergency repairs as seen in Figure 2.3.

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Figure 2.3 – Low Severity Patching.

2.4 Potholes

Potholes are holes in roadways that vary in size and shape as illustrated in Figure 2.4. They

are caused by expansion and contraction of groundwater after the water has entered into the

ground under the pavement. If the water freezes and thaws over and over, the pavement will

weaken and continue cracking. Potential solutions include using patch materials and

compacting to an adequate level resulting in a flat surface level with the roadway.

Figure 2.3 – Low Severity Potholes.

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Section III – Pavement Condition Index (PCI) Analysis

3.1 Considered Roadway

The considered road is located near Homsiyeh and is the Saida – Jezzine Road as illustrated

in Figures 3.1 to 3.4 using Google Maps. A 1.7 km section of the roadway was considered for

this analysis. The entire roadway was divided into three sections with the following lengths

of 450 m, 650 m and 600 m.

Figure 3.1 – Considered 1.7 km Roadway.

Figure 3.2 – Roadway Section 1.

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Figure 3.3 – Roadway Section 2.

Figure 3.4 – Roadway Section 3.

Since the roadway was divided into three sections as illustrated in Figures 3.2 to 3.4 a total of

four distinctive points are used to limit these sections. The latitude and longitude coordinates

of these four points are summarized in Table 3.1 and further illustrated in Figures 3.5 to 3.8.

Each roadway section is separately analyzed in the following sections of this report and a PCI

rating is assigned to the corresponding sections.

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Table 3.1 – Point Latitude and Longitude Coordinates.

Point Latitude Longitude

A 33.554571 35.538571
B 33.552289 35.542723
C 33.550282 35.548929
D 33.549675 35.554495

Figure 3.5 – Point A Coordinates.

Figure 3.6 – Point B Coordinates.

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Figure 3.7 – Point C Coordinates.

Figure 3.8 – Point D Coordinates.

Now that all roadway sections and points are defined the visual survey of the 1.7 km road can

begin. This will involve driving over each section and noting all distresses visible followed

by a measurement of these distresses. This information is used for pavement condition index

(PCI) analysis.

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3.2 Roadway – Section 1 Analysis

The first roadway section considered has a total length of 450 m and is illustrated by Figures

3.9 and 3.10. Each type of distress was identified by visual inspection and measured using a

measuring tape. These measurements are required to calculate the area to get the density.

After getting the density, the deduct value for each distress was calculated based on the

density from Appendix A. The largest CDV is selected and PCI is calculated by subtracting

CDV from 100.

Figure 3.9 – Roadway Section 1 – View 1.

Figure 3.10 – Roadway Section 1 – View 2.

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Table 3.2 – Roadway Section 1 Analysis.

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3.3 Roadway – Section 2 Analysis

The second roadway section considered has a total length of 650 m and is illustrated by

Figures 3.11 and 3.12. Each type of distress was identified by visual inspection and measured

using a measuring tape. These measurements are required to calculate the area to get the

density. After getting the density, the deduct value for each distress was calculated based on

the density from Appendix A. The largest CDV is selected and PCI is calculated by

subtracting CDV from 100.

Figure 3.11 – Roadway Section 2 – View 1.

Figure 3.12 – Roadway Section 2 – View 2.

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Table 3.3 – Roadway Section 2 Analysis.

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3.4 Roadway – Section 3 Analysis

The third and final roadway section considered has a total length of 600 m and is illustrated

by Figures 3.13 and 3.14. Each type of distress was identified by visual inspection and

measured using a measuring tape. These measurements are required to calculate the area to

get the density. After getting the density, the deduct value for each distress was calculated

based on the density from Appendix A. The largest CDV is selected and PCI is calculated by

subtracting CDV from 100.

Figure 3.13 – Roadway Section 3 – View 1.

Figure 3.13 – Roadway Section 3 – View 2.

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Table 3.4 – Roadway Section 3 Analysis.

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Section IV – Conclusions

4.1 Conclusions

It is important to state that the method used to determine the asphalt pavement condition is

based on several assumptions and on-site visualizations. Therefore, the results and overall

analysis calculations are not fully accurate. This method is excellent for a preliminary

analysis due to the short analysis time and simple tool requirements. If a roadway is found to

be heavily deteriorated, then more accurate and technical methods can be employed to solve

the roadway problem and avoid potential accidents.

It is constantly important to survey roadways to create a detailed assessment of their overall

condition. This is done by the implementation of pavement distresses and they are an

indication of poor or unfavorable pavement performance or signs of impending failure.

4.2 List of References

[1] Karim, F. M., Abdul Haleem Rubasi, K., & Abdo Saleh, A. (2019, April 28). Evaluation

and Maintenance: A Case Study of Yemen. The Road Pavement Condition Index

(PCI), 8, 1446-1455. doi:10.1515

[2] Standard Practice for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement Condition Index Surveys. (2019,

April 15). ASTM D6433 - 18, 1-47.

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Appendix A – Deduct Value Curves for Asphalt

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Appendix B – Encountered Roadway Distresses

Figure B.1 – Encountered Patching.

Figure B.2 – Encountered Transversal Crack.

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Figure B.3 – Encountered Potholes.

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