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pavement-design-calculator skill

/plugins/babysitter/skills/babysit/process/specializations/domains/science/civil-engineering/skills/pavement-design-calculator

This skill designs flexible and rigid pavements using AASHTO 93 and MEPDG, with overlay, life cycle cost analysis, and traffic assessment.

npx playbooks add skill a5c-ai/babysitter --skill pavement-design-calculator

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SKILL.md

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---
name: pavement-design-calculator
description: Pavement design skill for flexible and rigid pavements using AASHTO and MEPDG methods
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - Edit
  - Bash
metadata:
  specialization: civil-engineering
  domain: science
  category: Transportation Design
  skill-id: CIV-SK-020
---

# Pavement Design Calculator Skill

## Purpose

The Pavement Design Calculator Skill designs flexible and rigid pavements using AASHTO 93, MEPDG, and other established methods including overlay design and life-cycle cost analysis.

## Capabilities

- Flexible pavement design (AASHTO 93, MEPDG)
- Rigid pavement design
- Overlay design
- Traffic loading analysis (ESALs)
- Material characterization
- Life-cycle cost analysis
- Structural number calculation
- Thickness determination

## Usage Guidelines

### When to Use
- Designing new pavements
- Evaluating rehabilitation options
- Analyzing pavement life
- Comparing alternatives

### Prerequisites
- Traffic data available
- Subgrade characterization complete
- Material properties known
- Design period established

### Best Practices
- Use appropriate design method
- Verify traffic projections
- Consider drainage effects
- Evaluate life-cycle costs

## Process Integration

This skill integrates with:
- Pavement Design
- Highway Geometric Design

## Configuration

```yaml
pavement-design-calculator:
  design-methods:
    - AASHTO-93
    - MEPDG
    - PCA
  pavement-types:
    - flexible
    - rigid
    - composite
  analysis:
    - new-construction
    - overlay
    - rehabilitation
```

## Output Artifacts

- Pavement thickness designs
- Life-cycle cost analyses
- Material specifications
- Design summaries

Overview

This skill designs flexible and rigid pavements using established methods including AASHTO 93, MEPDG, and PCA procedures. It produces thickness recommendations, structural numbers, overlay designs, and life-cycle cost comparisons. The tool supports new construction, rehabilitation, and overlay scenarios for practical engineering decisions.

How this skill works

The skill ingests traffic loading (ESALs), subgrade and material properties, design period, and environmental inputs to calculate structural requirements. It runs the selected design method (AASHTO 93, MEPDG, PCA) to determine layer thicknesses, performs overlay and rehabilitation checks, and computes life-cycle cost metrics. Outputs include thickness designs, material specifications, and summary reports suitable for engineering review.

When to use it

Designing a new flexible or rigid pavement section
Evaluating overlay or rehabilitation alternatives for existing pavements
Comparing design outcomes from AASHTO, MEPDG, and PCA methods
Estimating pavement life and performing life-cycle cost analysis
Checking structural numbers and layer thicknesses before detailed design

Best practices

Provide accurate traffic projections (ESALs) and load spectra for reliable results
Characterize subgrade and layer materials with laboratory or in-situ tests
Select the design method that matches project scope and regulatory requirements
Include drainage and climate inputs to capture environmental impacts
Validate results with sensitivity checks and professional engineering judgment

Example use cases

Compare AASHTO 93 versus MEPDG thickness for a multilane highway project
Generate overlay thickness and cost trade-offs for pavement rehabilitation
Produce life-cycle cost analysis to choose between flexible and rigid alternatives
Estimate required base and surface layer thickness given a target service life
Create material specification summaries and design summaries for tender documents

FAQ

What inputs are required to run a design?

Traffic loading (ESALs), subgrade CBR or resilient modulus, material properties, design period, and environmental/drainage conditions.

Which design methods are supported?

AASHTO 93, Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), and PCA rigid pavement procedures.

Can it perform life-cycle cost analysis?

Yes. The skill calculates life-cycle costs to compare initial construction and long-term maintenance scenarios.