OPTIMUM STRUCTURAL STRENGTH OF MATERIALS IN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS

THE OPTIMUM STRUCTURAL STRENGTH CONTRIBUTED BY A MATERIAL TO THE OVERALL STRENGTH OF THE PAVEMENT WAS STUDIED FOR CASES APPLICABLE TO VIRGINIA. THE VARIABLES WERE (1) THE MODULUS OF ELASTICITY OR THE THICKNESS EQUIVALENCY OF THE MATERIAL, (2) THE THICKNESS OF THE MATERIAL IN THE LAYER, (3) THE LOCATION OF THE MATERIAL WITH RESPECT TO OTHER LAYERS CONTAINING STRONGER OR WEAKER MATERIALS AND IN VARYING THICKNESSES, AND (4) THE EFFECT OF THE TOTAL PAVEMENT THICKNESS AND THE DEPTH OF THE MATERIAL FROM THE TOP OF THE PAVEMENT. THE INVESTIGATION CONSISTED OF A STUDY OF THE THICKNESS EQUIVALENCIES OF THE MATERIALS ON INTERSTATE, PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND SUBDIVISION ROADS IN VIRGINIA, AND A MODEL STUDY. THE EVALUATION OF THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM WAS QUANTITATIVE, WHILE THAT OF THE MODEL STUDY WAS QUALITATIVE ONLY. THE INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE STRUCTURAL STRENGTH OF A PAVEMENT IS DECREASED WHEN A WEAKER LAYER IS PLACED OVER A STRONGER LAYER OR WHEN A WEAKER LAYER IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN 2 STRONG LAYERS. THE INVESTIGATION ALSO SHOWED THAT, WHEN THE BOTTOM OF THE TOP LAYER DOES NOT BEND, THE STRESS DISTRIBUTION IS BULB TYPE AND THAT, WHEN THE BOTTOM BENDS, THE STRESS DISTRIBUTION IS FAN TYPE. EACH CASE WOULD THEREFORE NEED A DIFFERENT MATHEMATICAL TREATMENT FOR DESIGN. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/329/329-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Flexible Pavement Design and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. 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:
  • Vaswani, N K
• Discussers:
  • Foster, C R
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 77-97
• Monograph Title: Design and performance of rigid and flexible pavements
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 329
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Depth; Flexible pavements; Modulus of elasticity; Pavement layers; Pavements; Strength of materials; Structural analysis; Thickness
• Old TRIS Terms: Layered system mechanics; Thickness equivalence
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00205858
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 3 1971 12:00AM