Studying the Effect of Gravel Roads Geometric Features on Corrugation Behavior.

Gravel and unpaved roads make up nearly 50% of the United States roads network. This explains the need to have a sophisticated and advanced Gravel Roads Management System (GRMS). Thus, the Wyoming Technology Transfer Center (WYT2C) is in the process of developing a holistic GRMS. One of the most important factors in developing a GRMS is understanding the deterioration behavior of the roads. In this study, the effect of gravel roads geometric features on surface distresses in terms of corrugation was investigated. Factorial design method was used to study the relation between the existence of horizontal curve and vertical grade and the corrugation severity. The study found that there is a significant relation between corrugation severity and the existence of horizontal curve and vertical grades. Therefore, a model was developed to provide an accurate prediction for the corrugation at these special locations. The developed model has a coefficient of determination (R2) of 88% which means that this model represents 88% of the studied data. The findings of this study provide the pavement engineers with a better understanding about the deterioration behavior of gravel roads. Employing the results of this study in GRMS will enhance the maintenance budget optimization process significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]