Experimental design to study environmental salt movement and accumulation within roads

Concentration of salts within road pavements has been shown to cause damage to thin bituminous surfacings and affect road pavement performance. The present study explores the mechanisms of road pavement salinisation with a focus on roads within areas at risk of environmental salinity, primarily dryland salinity. The project consists of a number of components including; construction and monitoring of field-scale test pavement, a long-term laboratory column study, investigation of existing salt-affected roads and modelling of salt movement and accumulation within road pavements. Construction of the test pavement and experimental design of the laboratory column component of the study are discussed in this paper. Some preliminary results are also presented. A 30 m long road pavement has been constructed in Dubbo, in a semi-arid area with a history of environmental salinity issues. Instrumented soil columns of compacted clay subgrade and unbound granular pavement material were established under laboratory conditions. A number of combinations of surfacing, pavement structure and saline bath solution were constructed. Moisture content and electrical conductivity (salinity) of four of the columns are being measured at a number of depths using capacitance probes. Additional replicate sets of columns were also prepared for destructive testing to be undertaken at pre-determined time intervals. After 6 weeks the gravimetric moisture content and electrical conductivity profiles of one set of replicate columns were determined from destructive testing and compared with measured profiles from the set of instrumented columns.

• Authors:
  • de Carteret, R
  • Buzzi, O
  • Fityus, S
• Conference:
  • RTA Pavements Conference, 2011, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Publication Date: 2011-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 17p (day 2)
• Monograph Title: RTA Pavements 2011 Conference, 20-21 September 2011, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deterioration; Durability; Environment; Field studies; Moisture content; Pavement performance; Pavements; Salts; Test procedures; Tests for suitability, service and quality
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement technology
• Geographic Terms: Australia; New South Wales
• ATRI Terms: Deterioration; Environment; Field study; Moisture content; Pavement performance; Pavement testing; Salt
• ITRD Terms: 7332: Salt (chem)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01374103
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 27 2012 9:55AM