OBSERVATIONS ON SECTIONS OF RURAL ROAD AT THREE SITES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 1967 TO 1982

This report describes results so far from sections of road designed and constructed to study factors affecting the performance of bituminous surfaced rural roads on well drained formations under low traffic flow. The main features emerging from the observations during about 15 years since construction of the sections are as follows: (a) the initial moisture conditions of pavement and subgrade materials, whether wet or dry, tend to persist without drying out, even in dry environmental areas; (b) whether initial dry conditions of pavement and subgrade materials markedly increased in moisture or not seemed (except near the edge of the road) to depend mainly on the natural environment at the site; (c) within about 1 m of the edges, the pavement and subgrade materials markedly increased in moisture even in dry environmental areas and the increased moisture tends to persist; (d) strength evaluations of subgrade materials for pavement thickness and of pavement materials for suitability should both be made at realistic values of density and moisture content rather than necessarily under soaked conditions; (e) the merit of stage construction embodying compaction by traffic over a period of years in circumstances where this is feasible is illustrated by comparative sections of old road. (Author/TRRL)

Media Info

  • Features: References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 78-81
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00392340
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: ARRB
  • Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
  • Created Date: Mar 29 1985 12:00AM