A comprehensive analysis of permanent deformation in soils and granular materials considering the master curves approach and field performance

The evaluation of soils and granular materials is essential for cost-effective pavement design. This study investigates the deformability behaviour of five materials commonly used in Brazil through laboratory, field, and computational analyses. Mechanical responses were assessed considering compaction energy, moisture content, gradation, load cycles, and traffic. Permanent deformation was characterised using the master curve approach, and model parameters from the Brazilian mechanistic-empirical pavement design method were obtained. These parameters were applied in MeDiNa and FlexPaveBR simulations and validated against rutting measured on five accelerated pavement test sections. The results demonstrated sensitivity to moisture, stress conditions, and traffic loading. A transfer function was developed to improve rutting predictions, achieving closer agreement with field observations. The proposed methodology reduced laboratory testing time and the required number of load cycles while maintaining predictive accuracy. The findings support more reliable rutting prediction, improved material selection, and lower costs and execution time in pavement design.