A RATIONAL APPROACH TO THE DESIGN OF PAVEMENT STRUCTURES IN KUWAIT

The Road Research Centre of Kuwait is developing a pavement design technique specific to the hot, arid conditions of the Arabian Gulf. It seeks to reduce the thickness of temperature susceptible asphalt by fully utilising the strong sub-grade soils mostly available in this region. This is achieved by designing from the "bottom-up". Sub-grades are classified and programmes of laboratory tests determine their permissible working stresses, for various design lives. Computer based, multi-layer elastic analysis is then used to calculate the required thickness of asphalt. Damage by severely overloaded vehicles and fatigue are also considered as secondary criteria. Finally, the paper compares design thicknesses under the RRC Method with those under several of the current, internationally used, rational methods. It shows that the RRC Method produces thinner pavements than most current analytical methods. Because it is partially pragmatic and specific to the locale it requires less "margin for error" and therefore the thinner designs will actually be used. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0860501124
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented at Seminar G, Developing Countries, held at the PTRC Annual Summer Meeting, University of Warwick, England, 4-7 July, 1983.
• Corporate Authors:

  PTRC Education and Research Services Limited

  110 Strand
  London WC2,   England 
• Authors:
  • STERLING, A B
  • Mesdary, M S
  • Guirguis, H R
• Conference:
  • Planning & Transport Res & Comp, Sum Ann Mtg, Proc
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 91-97

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt pavements; Bituminous mixtures; Climate; Computer aided design; Conferences; Design methods; Developing countries; Elastic analysis; Load limits; Mechanical elasticity; Mechanical fatigue; Pavement design; Pavement layers; Pavement subgrade; Pavements; Soils; Thickness; Vehicle weight
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement thickness
• Geographic Terms: Kuwait
• Old TRIS Terms: Elastic analysis (Structural)
• ITRD Terms: 4967: Bituminous mixture; 8525: Conference; 150: Developing countries; 5912: Elasticity; 1527: Excess load (veh); 5579: Fatigue (mater); 8056: Kuwait; 2931: Multicourse; 3055: Pavement design; 2950: Subgrade; 5933: Thickness; 2545: Weather
• Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382745
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0-86050-112-4
• Report/Paper Numbers: Volume P240
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM