Why is M-E pavement design important?
Several principal types of distress reduce pavement life: fatigue, rutting, and thermal cracking for asphalt pavements; and cracking and faulting for concrete pavements. These distress types are analyzed in the models incorporated in the M-E design approach, which leads to an overall assessment of pavement performance regarding ride. An M-E analysis allows an engineer to optimize design and materials to minimize these distresses.
