Publication Detail

Update of the PG Binder Map in California Using the Enhanced Integrated Climate Model (EICM) and LTTPBind Online

UCD-ITS-RR-23-46

Book Chapter

Suggested Citation:
Rahman, Mohammad, John T. Harvey, Mohamed Elkashef (2023) Update of the PG Binder Map in California Using the Enhanced Integrated Climate Model (EICM) and LTTPBind Online. Airfield and Highway Pavements 2023

California has a diverse climate that ranges from desert regions with some of the hottest places in North America to coastal regions with mild climates and cold summers. The selection of the binder’s performance grade (PG) in California is based on a climate map that was developed in 2005 using 1960 to 1990 data from the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) analyzed using the Enhanced Integrated Climate Model (EICM) and the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPPBind 2.0) software. Climate change is happening all around the world, and California is no exception. Based on observed pavement performance, there was a need to revise the PG map using updated climatic data from various sources. In this study, the PG binder map for California was updated to better predict pavement performance using the latest available weather data. Thirty years of climate data (1991−2019) were considered to update the current binder’s PG map. The weather data were collected from two main sources: NCDC and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). It was found that pavement structure types and thermal coefficients have insignificant effects on the binder performance grade. Also, it is recommended that the binder high PG for the central valley of California be changed based on the results obtained from analysis using EICM and LTPPBind Online.