FAILURE CRITERIA FOR FLEXIBLE AIRFIELD PAVEMENTS

THE FOLLOWING MAJOR CAUSES OF UNSATISFACTORY CONDITIONS IN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS ARE DUSCUSSED: (1) INADEQUATE THICKNESS OF SUBBASE, BASE AND PAVEMENT, (2) INADEQUATE COMPACTION IN THE SUBGRADE, SUBBASE, AND BASE, (3) INADEQUATE DURABILITY IN THE BITUMINOUS LAYERS, AND (4) INADEQUATE STABILITY IN THE BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT UNDER TRAFFIC DURING HOT WEATHER. HOWEVER, WHEN DISTRESS OCCURS IN AN ACTUAL PAVEMENT, BOTH COMPACTION AND SHEAR DEFORMATION ARE USUALLY INVOLVED AND IT IS NECESSARY TO ATTEMPT TO SEPARATE THE TWO. COMPACTION, THOUGH CONTRIBUTING TO UNDESIRABLE SURFACE IRREGULARITY, INCREASES THE STRUCTURAL STRENGTH OF A PAVEMENT AND BECOMES SUCCESSIVELY LESS UNDER A GIVEN INTENSITY OF TRAFFIC. SHEAR DEFORMATION BECOMES SUCCESSIVELY MORE PRONOUNCED IN ITS RESULTANT EFFECTS UNDER A GIVEN INTENSITY OF TRAFFIC AND HAS NO BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE OCCURRENCE OF SHEAR DEFORMATION AS A PRIMARY MECHANISM OF FAILURE REGARDLESS OF THE POINT AT WHICH RESULTANT SURFACE IRREGULARITIES BECOME INTOLERABLE FOR THE USE FOR WHICH THE PAVEMENT WAS DESIGNED. IF THE BEHAVIOR IS TO BE USED TO IMPROVE THE DESIGN CRITERIA, IT IS NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH THE LAYER OR LAYERS WHICH HAVE BEEN OVERSTRESSED. THIS DEFORMATION REQUIRES CAREFUL OBSERVATION AND SAMPLING AND TESTING.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/187/187-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 187, pp 72-75, 3 FIG 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:
  • Foster, Charles R
  • Ahlvin, R G
• Publication Date: 1958

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 4p
• Monograph Title: Pavement Performance: Methods for Evaluation
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 187
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Base course (Pavements); Bituminous pavements; Compaction; Defects; Deformation; Design; Durability; Failure; Flexible pavements; Pavement distress; Pavement performance; Pavements; Shear strength; Stability (Mechanics); Subbase (Pavements); Subgrade (Pavements); Thickness
• Uncontrolled Terms: Criteria; Design criteria; Subbase
• Old TRIS Terms: Thickness design
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00206964
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 7 1994 12:00AM