Practice Test GeeksCTE - Certified Transportation Engineer Practice Test
← All CTE Flashcard Decks

Pavement Design & Materials Flashcards

6 cards from real CTE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Pavement Design & Materials flashcards as text

  1. In AASHTO pavement design, what does the structural number (SN) represent?

    Answer: An index reflecting the structural strength of a pavement to support traffic loads

    The structural number (SN) is an abstract number expressing the overall structural strength of a pavement required to carry projected traffic loads over the design period.

  2. What is the primary distress mode that MEPDG (Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide) predicts for flexible pavements?

    Answer: Alligator fatigue cracking, longitudinal cracking, and rutting simultaneously

    MEPDG predicts multiple flexible pavement distresses simultaneously — alligator fatigue cracking from bottom-up failure, longitudinal surface cracking, rutting in each layer, and IRI.

  3. What is the Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL) concept used for in pavement design?

    Answer: Converting mixed traffic of different axle weights into equivalent 18-kip single axle loads for design purposes

    ESALs convert the damaging effect of various axle configurations and weights to an equivalent number of standard 18,000-lb single axle loads, enabling comparison and cumulative damage calculation.

  4. What does the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test measure?

    Answer: The resistance of a subgrade or base material to penetration, used to assess pavement support strength

    The CBR test measures the load resistance of a compacted soil or aggregate material by comparing its penetration resistance to that of a standard crushed limestone material.

  5. In flexible pavement design, what is 'rutting' and what layer is most often responsible?

    Answer: Permanent surface deformation in wheel paths; most often caused by the asphalt surface or intermediate layer

    Rutting is permanent vertical deformation accumulating in wheel paths, typically caused by inadequate resistance to shear deformation in the hot-mix asphalt surface or binder course under heavy repeated loads.

  6. What is the purpose of the Performance Grade (PG) binder specification system developed under SHRP?

    Answer: Grading binders based on climate-specific high- and low-temperature performance limits

    The PG specification grades asphalt binders by the temperature range in which they meet performance criteria — high temperature for rutting resistance and low temperature for cracking resistance — matched to local climate.