Perpetual Pavements in China

With China's plans to develop an extensive road network to complete a 1.4 million mile road system over the next five years (the equivalent to the total added in the U.S. between 1990 and 2003), a major challenge is building pavements that can withstand extremely heavy traffic loads. Axle weight distributions are compared for China and the U.S. and show a marked disparity. Trucks in China tend to be configured differently, with the drive axle usually being a single axle on Chinese trucks, versus tandem in the U.S. Also, trucks in China are designed to carry extremely heavy loads, and freight carriers routinely exceed legal load limits. Using standard calculations, a typical single axle in China causes roughly 40 times more damage than one in the U.S. This article describes typical Chinese road building techniques and compares them to Perpetual Pavement techniques. The survey was carried out in test sections designed according to the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. The article describes the testing techniques and gives references.

• Authors:
  • Timm, David
  • Priest, Angela L
  • Yang, Yongshun
  • Gao, Xuechi
• Publication Date: 2006-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: pp 14-19
• Serial:
  • HMAT: Hot Mix Asphalt Technology
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt pavements; Axle load force; Heavy duty trucks; Hot mix asphalt; Mechanistic design; Pavement performance; Strain gages
• Geographic Terms: China
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01024880
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: May 31 2006 7:55AM