Fractal Analysis of the Cracking and Failure of Asphalt Pavements

An evaluation of the cracking that takes place in asphalt pavements was carried out. Pavement surfaces with low, moderate, high, very high, and critical cracking levels were used in the analysis. The analysis of the intensity of cracking was carried out using the fractal dimension concept, D, from fractal theory. From field and analytical investigations it was determined that: (1) the severity of the cracking in the pavement sections analyzed was reflected in the D values. Low levels of cracking were associated with low levels of D. High levels of cracking were associated with high levels of D. (2) the fractal dimension, D was equal to 1.051 for low level of cracking; 1.1754 for moderate level of cracking; 1.5037 for high level of cracking; 1.7111 for very high level of cracking; and 1.8976 for critical level of cracking (failure). This study also discuss the rehabilitation method of the pavements.