CHAPTER 6

ROAD PAVEMENT
INTRODUCTION

• Generally, road is a public way for the

passage of vehicles, people and
animals(routes of transportation)
• The roads usually can be divided into few
categories which are:
• Covering these roads with a hard smooth
surface (pavement) helped make them
durable and able to withstand traffic and
the environment
• Road pavement have a life expectancy
between 20-30 years
• Road pavement deteriorate over time due
to the impact of traffic, particularly heavy
vehicles and environmental factors
 PURPOSES OF ROAD
PAVEMENT
1. Load support
 Primary function of pavement – load
distribution
 Loads – the vehicles (e.g : trucks, heavy
machineries, etc) forces exerted on the
pavement can be characterized by the
following parameters:
a. Tire loads
b. Axle and tire configuration
c. Repetition of loads
d. Distribution of traffic across the pavement
e. Vehicle speed
2. Smoothness
 Defines as an expression of irregularities
in the pavement surface that adversely
affect the ride quality of a vehicle
3. Drainage
 Pavement material and geometric
design can affect quick and
efficient drainage thus eliminating
moisture problems such as mud
and ponding (puddles)
 Consist of :
a) Surface drainage
Concerned with removing all water
that is present on the pavement
surface, shoulder surface or any
other surface from which it may flow
onto the pavement
b) Subsurface drainage
concerned with removing water that
percolates through or is contained in
the underlying subgrade
 MATERIAL

HOT MIX ASPHALT PORTLAND CEMENT

(HMA) CONCRETE (PCC)
• a combination of • A combination of
aggregate and asphalt aggregate, water and
binder mixed together portland cement to
at elevated form a hard, strong
temperature that construction materials
forms a hard, strong when set.
construction material • Is known by several
when cooled to names including
ambient temperatures. “cement” and
• Is known by many “concrete”
name such as “asphalt
concrete”(AC or ACP),
“asphalt”, “blacktop”,
or “bitumen”.
 ROAD PAVEMENT

TYPES

FLEXIBLE
RIGID
-can serve 20-40 years with - Generally require
little or no maintenance or some sort of
rehabilitation and often used maintenance or
in urban, high traffic areas
rehabilitation every
10-15 years
 RIGID PAVEMENT
• Are composed of a PCC surface course
• Such pavements are substantially “stiffer”
than flexible pavements due to the high
modulus or elasticity of the PCC material
• Further, these pavements can have
reinforcing steel, which is generally used to
reduce or eliminate joints
• A rigid pavement structure is typically
composed of a PCC surface course built on
top of either:
i. The subgrade
ii. An underlying base course
• because of its relative rigidity, the pavement
structure distributes loads over a wide area
with only one or ar most two structural layers
RIGID PAVEMENT (cont’d)
• A rigid pavement structure is composed of a hydraulic
cement concrete surface course and underlying base
and subbase courses (if used). Another term
commonly used is Portland cement concrete (PCC)
pavement, although with today’s pozzolanic additives,
cements may no longer be technically classified as
“Portland.”
• The surface course (concrete slab) is the stiffest layer
and provides the majority of strength. The base or
subbase layers are orders of magnitude less stiff than
the PCC surface but still make important contributions
to pavement drainage and frost protection and provide
a working platform for construction equipment.
• Rigid pavements are substantially ‘stiffer’ than flexible
pavements due to the high modulus of elasticity of the
PCC material, resulting in very low deflections under
loading. The rigid pavements can be analyzed by the
plate theory. Rigid pavements can have reinforcing
steel, which is generally used to handle thermal
stresses to reduce or eliminate joints and maintain
tight crack widths.
 This is the
layer under
the base
layer
• A sub-base
course
is not
always
Sub-base
needed
• This is the
and
layer
therefore
directly
may often
below
be the
omitted
PCC layer
course
• Generally
consists of
Base
• This is the
aggregates
top layer
or
which
stabilized
consist of
subgrade
the PCC
slab
course
• Is the
Surface
stiffest and
provides
the
majority of
strength
structure consist of:
• The typical rigid pavement
RIGID PAVEMENT(cont’d)
 RIGID PAVEMENT(cont’d)

SURFACE COURSE
• Is the layer in contact with traffic
loads and is made of PCC
• The surface course can vary in
thickness but is usually between
150mm @ 6 inches (for light
loading ND 300
 RIGID PAVEMENT(cont’d)

BASE COURSE
• The base course is immediately beneath the
surface course
• It provides:
a. Additional load distribution
b. Contributes to drainage and frost resistance
c. Uniform support to the pavement
d. A stable platform for construction equipment
• Bases also help prevent sub-grade soil
movement due to slab pumping
• Base courses are usually constructed out of :
a. Aggregate base
b. Stabilized aggregate or soil
c. Dense-graded HMA
 RIGID PAVEMENT(cont’d)

SUB-BASE COURSE
• The sub-base course is between the
base course and the sub-grade
• It functions primarily as structural
support but it can also:
1. Minimize the intrusion of fines from the
subgrade into the pavement structure
2. Improve drainage
3. Minimize frost action damage
4. Provide a working platform for
construction
• Generally consist of lower quality
material than the base course but
better than the sub-grade soils
 FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
• A flexible pavement structure is typically composed of
several layers of material with better quality materials on
top where the intensity of stress from traffic loads is high
and lower quality materials at the bottom where the stress
intensity is low. Flexible pavements can be analyzed as a
multilayer system under loading.
• A typical flexible pavement structure consists of the
surface course and underlying base and subbase courses.
Each of these layers contributes to structural support and
drainage.
• When hot mix asphalt (HMA) is used as the surface
course, it is the stiffest (as measured by resilient modulus)
and may contribute the most (depending upon thickness)
to pavement strength. The underlying layers are less stiff
but are still important to pavement strength as well as
drainage and frost protection.
• When a seal coat is used as the surface course, the base
generally is the layer that contributes most to the
structural stiffness. A typical structural design results in a
series of layers that gradually decrease in material quality
with depth.
 FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT

SURFACE
• Consist of:
a) Wearing course
 This is the layer in direct contact with
traffic loads
 It is meant to take the burnt of traffic
wear and can be removed and
replaced as it becomes worn
b) Binder course
 Also known as intermediate course
 Provides the bulk of the HMA
structure
 Purpose to distributes loads
 FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT

BASE COURSE
• Beneath the surface course
• Provides additional load distribution
and contributes to drainage and frost
resistance
• Usually constructed of:
a) Aggregate
• Base course are most typically constructed
from durable aggregates that will not be
damaged by moisture or frost action
• Can be either stabilized or unstabilized
b) Hot mastic asphalt(HMA)
• In certain situation where high base stiffness
is desired, base course can be constructed
using a variety of HMA mixes
The difference Characteristic of
FLEXIBLE AND RIGID
• The primary structural difference
between a rigid and flexible pavement
is the manner in which each type of
pavement distributes traffic loads over
the subgrade. A rigid pavement has a
very high stiffness and distributes loads
over a relatively wide area of subgrade
– a major portion of the structural
capacity is contributed by the slab
itself.
• The load carrying capacity of a true
flexible pavement is derived from the
load-distributing characteristics of a
layered system
The difference Characteristic of
FLEXIBLE AND RIGID

Typical stress distribution under a rigid and a flexible

pavement.
 RIGID FLEXIBLE
• The rigid characteristic of the pavement • Are those pavements which reflect the
are associated with rigidity or flexural deformation of subgrade and the
strength or slab action so the load is subsequent layers to the surface.
distributed over a wide area of Flexible, usually asphalt, is laid with no
subgrade soil. Rigid pavement is laid in reinforcement or with a specialized
slabs with steel reinforcement fabric reinforcement that permits
• The rigid pavements are made of limited flow or repositioning of the
cement concrete either plan, reinforced roadbed under ground changes.
or prestressed concrete. • The design of flexible pavement is based
• Critical condition of stress in the rigid on load distributing characteristic of the
pavement is the maximum flexural component layers. The black top
stress occurring in the slab due to wheel pavement including water & gravel
load and the temperature changes. bound macadam fall in this category.
• Rigid pavement is designed and • Flexible pavement on the whole has low
analyzed by using the elastic theory. or negligible flexible strength flexible in
their structural action). The flexible
pavement layers transmit the vertical or
compressive stresses to the lower layers
by grain transfer through contact points
of granular structure.
• The vertical compressive stress is
maximum on the pavement surface
directly under the wheel load and is
equal to contact pressure under the
wheels. Due to the ability to distribute
the stress to large area in the shape of
truncated cone the stresses get
decreased in the lower layer.
• As such the flexible pavement may be
constructed in a number of layers and
the top layer has to be strongest as the
highest compressive stresses.
• To be sustained by this layer, in addition
to wear and tear, the lower layer have
to take up only lesser magnitude of
stress as there is no direct wearing
action die to traffic loads, therefore
inferior material with lower cast can be
used in the lower layers.
 FLEXIBLE RIGID
Deformation in the sub grade is Deformation in the subgrade is not
transferred to the upper layers transferred to subsequent layers

Design is based on load Design is based on flexural strength

distributing characteristics of the or slab action
component layers

Have low flexural strength Have high flexural strength

Load is transferred by grain to No such phenomenon of grain to
grain contact grain load transfer exists

Have low completion cost but Have low repairing cost but
repairing cost is high completion cost is high

Have low life span (High Life span is more as compare to

Maintenance Cost) flexible (Low Maintenance Cost)

Surfacing cannot be laid directly Surfacing can be directly laid on the

on the sub grade but a sub base sub grade
is needed

No thermal stresses are induced Thermal stresses are more

as the pavement have the ability vulnerable to be induced as the
to contract and expand freely ability to contract and expand is very
less in concrete

Thats why expansion joints are Thats why expansion joints are
not needed needed
FLEXIBLE RIGID

Strength of the road is highly Strength of the road is less

dependent on the strength of the dependent on the strength of the
sub grade sub grade

Rolling of the surfacing is needed Rolling of the surfacing in not

needed

Road can be used for traffic Road cannot be used until 14 days of
within 24 hours curing

Force of friction is less Force of friction is high

Deformation in the sub grade is
not transferred to the upper
layers

Damaged by Oils and Certain No Damage by Oils and Greases

Chemicals