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Optimization of road design procedure to increase road lifetime and decrease maintenance costs

Sample discrete element simulation results for studying performance of geogrid-reinforced granular aggregates in roadway systems

Following files give a breif summary of objectives and visualizations from the study.
PhD_Proposal_Presentation-SH.pdf
Summary of DEM Simulations.ipynb

i. Problem: US State Departments of Transportation spends millions of tax-payer dollars annually to repair and construct roads in the US. The reason for this is poor design methodologies that were formulated in 1900s and not very scientific. The objective was to generate alternative solutions with evidence for Georgia DOT.
ii. Approach: To improve current practices and enhance the understanding of soil-gravel systems, I developed a python-based multi-variate particle-simulation model. The model considers various parameters like soil properties, traffic forces, reinforcements (totally 6 parameters). Using the model, I generated road-behavior data for various combinations of input parameters and conducted a detailed sensitivity study on optimal design procedure.
iii. Results: Road performance, as measured by the rutting at the surface, decreased by 25-40% compared to control case. This translates to additional 2 years before reparative maintenance and lifetime cost reduction by 40%. Results validated using laboratory traffic simulation experiment that I have previously developed as part of my PhD.