ANALYSIS OF SPRING BREAK-UP DATA IN VIRGINIA

AN ANALYSIS IS PRESENTED OF ROAD PERFORMANCE DATA COLLECTED AT THE TIME OF SPRING BREAK-UP ON MORE THAN 1000 MILES OF PRIMARY AND NEARLY 5000 MILES OF SECONDARY ROADS IN THE CULPEPER DISTRICT. DATA WERE COLLECTED TO SECURE DETAILED INFORMATION ON ROAD PERFORMANCE AND TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT AND CAUSES OF MAJOR BREAK-UP. A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF RATING THE NUMEROUS ROAD SECTIONS WAS DEVISED. PERFORMANCE RATINGS FOR BOTH THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS WERE SUMMARIZED BY COPIES. THE SECONDARY ROADS WERE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO HARD AND NON-HARD SURFACE TYPES. A MAP OF EACH COUNTY WAS PREPARED SHOWING THE RATINGS FOR EACH ROAD SECTION. DESPITE THE FACT THAT PRIMARY HIGHWAYS CARRY APPROXIMATELY 80 PERCENT OF THE TRAFFIC, THIER PERFORMANCE WAS CONSIDERABLY BETTER THAN THAT OF SECONDARY ROADS. THE CULPEPER DISTRICT WAS DIVIDED INTO FIVE GENERAL SOIL AREAS ACCORDING TO PARENT MATERIALS FOR THE ANALYSIS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ROADS IN THE COASTAL PLAIN SEDIMENT SOIL AREA WERE GIVING THE BEST PERFORMANCE, WHILE THOSE IN THE TRIASSIC RED BEDS SOIL AREA WERE RATED THE POOREST. IN ALL FIVE SOIL AREAS MACADAM BASES PERFORMED MUCH BETTER THAN SELECTED SOIL, GRAVEL, STONE OR STABILIZED BASES. THE ORDER OF RATINGS FOR BITUMINOUS SURFACES WAS AS FOLLOWS: PLANT MIX, HEAVY BITUMINOUS MIXES AND LIGHT BITUMINOUS MIXES. AN ANALYSIS OF THIRTY-YEAR WEATHER RECORDS INDICATED THAT PAVEMENT BREAK-UPS ARE MOST SEVERE FOR THOSE YEARS WITH LOW TEMPERATURES PRECEDED BY SUBGRADE AND BASE SATURATION (HIGH PRECIPITATION). /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/20/20-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 20, pp 1-20, 17 FIG, 5 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Shelburne, T E
  • Maner, A W
• Publication Date: 1949-9

Media Info

• Monograph Title: Pavement Performance
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 20
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Base course (Pavements); Bituminous materials; Bituminous mixtures; Data collection; Macadam; Maps; Parent materials; Pavement performance; Primary highways; Ratings; Secondary roads; Soils; Surface treating; Thaw
• Uncontrolled Terms: Spring breakup
• Old TRIS Terms: Bituminous surfacing; Precipitation
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00206977
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 28 1994 12:00AM