Pavement performance prediction is a crucial issue in big data maintenance. This paper develops a hybrid grey relation analysis (GRA) and support vector machine regression (SVR) technique to predict pavement performance. The prediction model can solve the shortcomings of the traditional model including a single consideration factor, a short prediction period, and easy overfitting. GAR is employed in selecting the main factors affecting the performance of asphalt pavement. The SVR is performed to predict the performance. Finally, the data collected from the weather station installed on Guangyun Expressway were adopted to verify the validity of the GRA-SVR model. Meanwhile, the contrast with the grey model (GM (1, 1)), genetic algorithm optimization BP[[parms resize(1),pos(50,50),size(200,200),bgcol(156)]]081%, −0.823%, 1.270%, and −4.569%, respectively. The study concluded that the nonlinear and multivariate prediction model established by GRA-SVR has higher precision and operability, which can be used in long-period pavement performance prediction.

Cement-stabilized macadam is commonly used in pavement base courses. The disadvantage of this material is that it easily cracks because construction vehicles cause irreversible fatigue damage to the pavement. Fatigue damage is caused by an insufficient number of maintenance days and overloading by construction vehicles. In order to analyze the influence of the number of maintenance days and overloading by construction vehicles, Miner theory and ABAQUS software were used, and an unconfined compressive strength test, an indirect tensile strength test, a bending tensile strength test, and a fatigue test were carried out simultaneously. The relationship between compressive strength and the splitting strength of water-stabilized macadam as well as compactness, water content, and temperature at different ages were determined. Fitting shows that the bottom tensile stress of the most disadvantageous layer increased with increasing subbase modulus, and its reduction rate increased slowly with the increasing of cement-stabilized macadam subbase thickness. The fatigue prediction equation for cement-stabilized macadam was obtained using bending tensile strength and fatigue tests. Subbase fatigue damage caused by different construction loads under different working conditions was calculated using Miner theory according to actual engineering data. Therefore, the number of pavement maintenance days should be increased. For harsh natural environments and strict time constraints, the design should increase the strength and thickness of the subbase material. When laying the base, overloaded vehicles should be limited, and the construction period of the loaded vehicles should be reduced to minimize road damage.

Shear fatigue damage to the waterproof cohesive layer has not received enough attention in bridge deck pavement design. Meanwhile, there is less theoretical basis for the design of a waterproof cohesive layer. In this study, direct shear and shear fatigue tests were used to compare the shear strength and fatigue performance of waterproof adhesive materials under different disposal schemes for a cement slab surface, bonding materials, and spreading schemes, and the recommended optimal dosage of waterproof adhesive material for the bridge deck is given. Based on the shear fatigue tests results of indoor waterproof adhesive materials, an equation for prediction fatigue at 15 °C was established and temperature correction was applied. Based on these results, we propose a waterproof cohesive layer design method for bridge deck pavement with interlayer shear damage as the design index. The life expectancy of the shear damage between the decks was calculated for a real bridge deck. These results provide scientific guidance for design of a waterproof cohesive layer in a bridge deck, which can effectively extend the service life of a bridge deck.

The purpose of asphalt pavement structural design is to get a materially-coordinated and structurally-durable product, and a pavement structure with good road performance by combining the structural layer materials reasonably. However, due to lack of a rational evaluation index on the parameter combinations of structural layer materials, the structural layer materials are poor in terms of coordination, have low efficiency, and the actual use period is much lower than the designed working life. Therefore, it is very important to conduct research evaluating the coordination of the structural layer materials. In this study, the sensitivity of mechanical parameters and equivalent envelope area are proposed as new indexes to evaluate the coordination of material design of asphalt pavement structure layers. Software is developed to calculate the equivalent envelope area that can quantitatively evaluate the coordination among different layers and visualize the mechanical transfer behavior of each structural layer. Based on the equivalent envelope area index, this study incorporates two new steps in the design of pavements, namely the structural form comparison and optimization, and proposes a new structural design process. Finally, the rationality and reliability of the equivalent envelope area index are verified by presenting fatigue life calculation and field verification in a test road. The results propose a clear evaluation index of the coordination of material design of each structural layer, which makes the structural design of the asphalt pavement more scientific and reasonable.

The current design methods employed for composite pavement structures predominantly rely on cement concrete slabs, which unfortunately lack established design standards and associated control indicators for determining the appropriate thickness of the asphalt layer. Therefore, the emergence of reflective cracks at the bottom of the asphalt layer has become a prevalent issue in composite pavement. This article aims to enhance the existing design methodology for composite pavement structures by proposing the inclusion of “cracking at the bottom of the asphalt layer” as a design indicator. An extensive analysis was conducted to assess the influence of various factors, including the elastic modulus and thickness of the asphalt layer, the elastic modulus, and thicknesses of the cement concrete slab, as well as the dimensions of the cement concrete slab (length and width), foundation reaction modulus, and joint width, on the comprehensive stress at the bottom of the asphalt layer. Additionally, formulas were derived to calculate the temperature warping stress and load stress, and a formula was also provided for determining the equivalent modulus of the structure, taking into account the stress-absorbing layer. Subsequently, the proposed methodology was applied to the Weixu Expressway. The results suggest adopting a surface structure design scheme consisting of a 6 cm asphalt concrete + 2 cm stress absorption layer. This study found that, when the thickness of the stress-absorbing layer is less than 2 cm, the load stress is highly sensitive to changes in the thickness of this layer. Specifically, a 1 cm thick stress-absorbing layer reduces the maximum tensile stress at the bottom of the asphalt layer by approximately 69.7%, decreases the equivalent stress by about 34.1%, and lowers the maximum shear stress by around 30.9%. However, once the thickness exceeds 2 cm, the load stress remains relatively constant. Thus, it was advisable to utilize an optimal stress-absorbing layer thickness of 2 cm.