Analysis of 30 Years of Pavement Temperatures using the Enhanced Integrated Climate Model (EICM)

In this study, databases for rainfall and temperatures were developed for six climate regions of California. The weather data was obtained from National Climatic Database Center (NCDC). The pavement temperatures were simulated using Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) software. Hourly pavement temperatures at the critical depths in the pavement layers were obtained using EICM for six cities, one in each of the identified climate regions. The objectives of the study presented in this report are: Create a database of hourly pavement temperatures predicted using EICM for 30 years (1961–1990) for typical California pavements including hourly averages and standard deviations of pavement temperatures for each of the six California climate regions. Evaluate the stability of pavement temperatures and rainfall across different 5-year periods to determine whether 5 years of data is sufficient to characterize a climate region. Qualitatively evaluate the effects of pavement temperatures and rainfall and their variability as they affect each distress across the climate regions in California. Compare the temperatures predicted by the BELLS2 equation with the temperatures calculated by the EICM and propose new models to predict temperatures at depth in the asphalt concrete layer in flexible pavements. Examine the effects of differences in albedo (reflectivity of solar radiation) on pavement temperatures and qualitatively evaluate the effect on pavement distresses.