United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-11-21 monographic deposited born digital 21 p. GA 1.13:RCED-98-9 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9 P0b002ee18038b5bc f:rc98009 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-05-04 GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9 RCED-98-9 Highway engineering Highway planning Highway safety Road construction Highway research Statistical methods Computer modeling Three Dimensional Finite Element Pavement Analysis Method Letter Report RCED N47907

A road test conducted by the American Association of State Highway Officials in 1959-60 found that heavy trucks cause more highway pavement damage than do other vehicles. On the basis of this test, the Association developed an initial pavement design guide in 1961, which has been updated periodically since then. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has neither adopted the guide nor mandated its use by states. Rather, FHWA requires that sound engineering and management principles and practices be used in pavement design. This report (1) describes the roles of FHWA and others in developing and updating the pavement design guide and (2) examines the use and the potential of a computer analysis method known as the nonlinear 3 dimensional-finite element method for improving the design and the analysis of highway pavement structures. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9.pdf GAO/RCED-98-9 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-9 Letter Report GAO/RCED-98-9; Transportation Infrastructure: Highway Pavement Design; Highway engineering Highway planning Highway safety Road construction Highway research Statistical methods Computer modeling Three Dimensional Finite Element Pavement Analysis Method Title 31 Section 720 31 U.S.C. 720