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cncPAVE is a computer simulation program whose purpose is to facilitate competent decision-making when designing concrete pavement. cncPAVE assumes that input values are uncertain and quantifies the consequence - uncertainty about the output.

 

Although a computer system can never replace designer's intelligence and experience, the program can quickly evaluate a design, evaluate its quality and thus facilitate competent decision-making. The approach is based on the evaluation of consequences. The consequences of a certain pavement design are expressed in terms of decision variables, viz.

 

•% shattered concrete surface (%SH),

•% pumping concrete surface (%PU),

•% faulting in the concrete pavement (%FA), (in case of plain and dowel concrete),

•Crack spacing (in case of reinforced concretes),

•International Roughness Index (IRI), and

•Life cost of the pavement, in R per square metre.

 

cncPAVE treats input variables and all output items as random variables.

 

From these the cncPAVE program derives the probability distributions of the above decision variables by means of Monte-Carlo simulation. The average values of the decision variables can then be compared with certain decision criteria and the quality of design judged accordingly.

 

In addition, probabilities of the decision variables exceeding certain limits can be read off respective graphs. These probabilities can be used to establish the confidence intervals of decision variables.