An expert system to remedy concrete imperfections and their effects on rigid pavements

Abstract

Imperfections of plastic concrete can cause severe deteriorations in rigid pavements surface and structure and reduce its life and serviceability. Diagnosing these imperfections, identifying their causes, and applying effective remedies early can prevent costly repairs in rigid pavements. However, if these imperfections are not remedied in correct time, the deteriorations in rigid pavements shall be reminded as soon as possible to avoid worsening the pavement condition. This domain involves diagnostic nature which suitable to be modelled as an expert system to help practicing engineers to identify the causes of the problems and their expected effects on pavement as well as applying suitable remedies. This paper presents the stages of development of an expert system in this domain. The development process includes knowledge elicitation, knowledge representation, knowledge coding, system validation, verification and evaluation.