Sweden has initiated the development of a new calibrated-mechanistic pavement design procedure to replace the current mechanical-empirical pavement procedure entitled “PMS Objekt.” The first phase was focused on the implementation and calibration of the vi scoelastic fracture mechanics framework entitled “HMA Fracture Mechanics”, developed at the University of Florida. This paper outlines the implementation and calibration of a new pavement design module for Sweden that is based on the HMA fracture mechanics framework. Both the developed design module, as well as the reference model used for calibration (PMS Objekt) are presented in this paper. The results in thickness design after calibration of the design module indicate that the framework is clearly applicable for common Swedish conditions and design standards.

In order to perform thickness design of flexible pavements based on the 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.