PROGRESS REPORT OF SPECIAL PROJECT ON STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF NONRIGID PAVEMENTS: SUBGRADE MOISTURE CONDITIONS BENEATH AIRPORT PAVEMENTS

THE REPORT PRESENTS AN ANALYSIS OF SUBGRADE MOISTURE DATA OBTAINED FROM AIRFIELD EVALUATION REPORTS OF THE OFFICE OF CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, WAR DEPARTMENT. THE MOISTURE CONTENTS BENEATH BOTH RIGID AND FLEXIBLE AIRPORT PAVEMENTS IN 8 DISTRICTS, EXTENDING FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN HUMID AREA OF THE COUNTRY TO THE ARID SOUTHWESTERN SECTION WERE STUDIED. IT WAS FOUND CONVENIENT TO DIVIDE THE SOILS INTO TEXTURAL CLASSES AND TO EXPRESS THE MOISTURE CONTENTS IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGE OF SATURATION, PERCENTAGE OF PLASTIC LIMIT, AND PERCENTAGE OF OPTIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT. THE MOISTURE CONDITIONS, EXPRESSED IN ALL THREE WAYS, VARIED WITH THE TEXTURE OF THE SOIL AND THE CLIMATE OF THE REGION. THE AVERAGE CONDITION INCREASED FOR A TEXTURAL PROGRESSION FROM SANDS THROUGH SANDY LOAMS, CLAY LOAMS, AND CLAYS. THE PERCENTAGE OF THE SOILS WHICH WERE 90 PER CENT OR MORE SATURATED OR WERE WETTER THAN THEIR PLASTIC LIMIT OF OPTIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT WAS HIGHER FOR THE HEAVIER TEXTURED SOILS THAN FOR THE LIGHT ONES. IN HUMID OR SEMIHUMID AREAS, THE SANDS AND LOAMY SANDS HAD LOW RELATIVE SATURATION VALUES, THE SANDY LOAMS WERE VARIABLE, AND THE HEAVIER SOILS SHOWED UP TO MORE THAN HALF THEIR VALUES IN EXCESS OF 90 PER CENT SATURATION. A MAJORITY OF THE SOILS OTHER THAN SANDS WERE WETTER THAN THEIR OPTIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT. THE DATA OBTAINED FROM ARID OR SEMI-ARID REGIONS SHOWED THE SUBGRADE CONDITIONS IN SUCH AREAS TO BE DEFINITELY DRIER THAN THOSE IN HUMID REGIONS. EVEN THE HEAVIER TEXTURED SOILS TENDED TO EXIST AT RELATIVELY LOW MOISTURE CONTENTS. COMPARISONS OF THE MOISTURE CONTENTS IN SIMILAR SOILS BENEATH RIGID AND FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS ON THE SAME AIRFIELD GENERALLY SHOWED THE GREATER VALUES FOR THE RIGID TYPE. IN ARID REGIONS THE VARIATIONS OF MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE UPPER 3 FT. OF SUBGRADE WERE SLIGHT AND SHOWED NO DEFINITE TRENDS. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/25/25-039.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 25, pp 450-463, 1 FIG, 7 TAB, 3 REF. 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:
  • Kersten, M S
  • Palmer, L A
  • Campen, W H
• Publication Date: 1946

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting Held at Skirvin Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, January 25-28, 1946
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 25
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Climate; Flexible pavements; Loam; Moisture content; Pavement design; Percent saturation; Plastic limit; Rigid pavements; Sand; Soil water; Soils; Structural design; Subgrade (Pavements); Subgrade materials; Texture
• Old TRIS Terms: Optimum moisture content; Soil texture; Subgrade moisture
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00205589
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 5 1994 12:00AM