Fuzzy Ideas Explain a Complex Heuristic Algorithm for Gauging Pavement Conditions

Authors

Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Carlos M. Chang Albitres, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Olga Kosheleva, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

6-2018

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-18-37a

Published in Mathematical Structures and Modeling, 2018, Vol. 47, pp. 82-90.

Abstract

To gauge pavement conditions, researchers have come up with a complex heuristic algorithm that combines several expert estimates of pavement characteristics into a single index -- which is well correlated with the pavement's durability and other physical characteristics. While empirically, this algorithm works well, it lacks physical or mathematical justification beyond being a good fit for the available data. This lack of justification decreases our confidence in the algorithm's results -- since it is known that often, empirically successful heuristic algorithms need change when the conditions change. To increase the practitioners' confidence in the resulting pavement condition estimates, it is therefore desirable to come up with a theoretical justification for this algorithm. In this paper, we show that by using fuzzy techniques, it is possible to come up with the desired justification.