Texas Flexible Pavements and Overlays: Data Analysis Plans and Reporting Format (0-6658-P3)

This five-year project was initiated to collect materials and pavement performance data on a minimum of 100 highway test sections around the State of Texas, incorporating flexible pavements and overlays. Besides being used to calibrate and validate mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design models, the data collected will also serve as an ongoing reference data source and/or diagnostic tool for TxDOT engineers and other transportation professionals. Towards this goal, this interim report provides a documentation of the comprehensive data analysis plans that were developed to analyze the collected data. The data collection plans are documented elsewhere as Report 0-6658-P1. As documented here, the data analysis plans were designed to cover various key aspects, including the following: (1) the tools and test methods used to measure/collect the data, (2) the type and format of the data measured/collected, (3) the raw data reduction processes for each data type, (4) the software used to process and analyze the measured/collected data, (5) the analytical methods and models used to analyze the measured/collected data, (6) the dimensional and/or quantitative units of the measured/computed parameters, and (7) the data reporting format including how the data will be accessed and displayed from the MS Access Data Storage System (i.e., tables, graphs, bar charts, etc.). Specifically, the data to be analyzed included the following: (1) laboratory and field test data including asphalt-binders, hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixes, base, and subgrade soil materials; (2) traffic data; and (3) environmental and climatic data.