AN INVESTIGATION INTO FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN ARID REGIONS, WITH DISCUSSIONS AND CLOSURE

AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY INTO THE PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING SEALED PAVEMENTS UNDER ARID CONDITIONS WAS CONDUCTED IN NEW SOUTH WALES. THE 'PRESENT PAVEMENT CONDITION' WAS ASSESSED BY BOTH VISUAL RATINGS AND THE PCA ROADMETER. THE PAVEMENT LAYERS AND SUBGRADE WERE SAMPLED AND TESTED. TESTING INCLUDED GRADING ANALYSIS, ATTERBERG LIMITS, FIELD MOISTURE AND DENSITY, NORMAL COMPACTION, LINEAR SHRINKAGE AND REPRESENTATIVE SPECIFIC GRAVITY DETERMINATIONS. THE SUBGRADE STRENGTH WAS ASSESSED BY THE DYNAMIC CONE PENETROMETER. THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED ON THE BASIS OF SIX MODELS. NEITHER PLASTICITY INDEX NOR THE GRADING OF THE TOP COURSE MATERIAL CORRELATED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PAVEMENT. SINCE THEIR VALUES RANGED MUCH HIGHER THAN ACCEPTED SPECIFICATION LIMITS, SOME RELAXATION OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADING WAS CONSIDERED WARRANTED IN ARID CONDITIONS. THE UNRELIABLE REGRESSIONS BETWEEN PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE AND THE SEVERAL TEST-OBTAINED PARAMETERS SUGGEST THAT PREDICTION FORUMULAS WITHOUT RESORT TO TEST TRACKS OR LONG TERM FIELD TRIALS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE DEVELOPED.

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 5-43
  • Serial:
    • Volume: 5
    • Issue Number: Pt4

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00207444
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 28 1972 12:00AM