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03 - Lecture - 02 - Pavement Types - NOTES

There are three main types of pavements: flexible, rigid, and composite. Flexible pavements are constructed of bituminous or granular materials and deflect under loading. Rigid pavements are constructed of Portland cement concrete and distribute loads through bending of the rigid slab. Composite pavements combine asphalt concrete and concrete layers.

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38 views

03 - Lecture - 02 - Pavement Types - NOTES

There are three main types of pavements: flexible, rigid, and composite. Flexible pavements are constructed of bituminous or granular materials and deflect under loading. Rigid pavements are constructed of Portland cement concrete and distribute loads through bending of the rigid slab. Composite pavements combine asphalt concrete and concrete layers.

Uploaded by

Isaac Senyoh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

2022 ACADEMIC YEAR


SECOND SEMESTER

CE 368 HIGHWAY ENGINEERING I

LECTURE 2:
TYPES OF PAVEMENTS

DR. KENNETH A. TUTU


JUNE 2022
TYPES OF PAVEMENTS
Three major types: flexible, rigid and composite
Flexible Pavements
• They are constructed with bituminous or granular materials, or both. Examples are:
o Asphalt concrete (AC) pavements
o Gravel-surfaced roads
o Surface dressed roads
o Is interlocking paving block surfaced road a flexible pavement?
• A flexible pavement structure deflects (flexes) under traffic loading
• Loads are distributed through various layers to a relatively small area of the subgrade
• Structural capacity is derived from the load-distributing characteristics of the various layers
• Flexible pavement is a layered system with:
o Highest quality materials placed near surface, where stress intensity is high
o Low quality materials at bottom, where stress intensity is low
• Guiding design principles:
o Enough total thickness to protect subgrade
o Enough surface thickness to prevent fatigue cracking

Typical Flexible Pavement Structure

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Surface Course
• Layer in direct contact with vehicle tyres
o Provides a skid-resistant riding surface
o Tough to resist distortion
o Prevent water intrusion
• Asphalt concrete (AC) surfacing may be divided into wearing course and binder course
• Binder course is beneath the wearing course
• Why use binder course?
o If AC surface is too thick. Thicker AC layer may not compact well (durability problems)
o Binder course often contains larger aggregate sizes and less asphalt binder (bitumen)
o Replacing portion of AC surface course with a binder course reduces material cost
Base Course
• The course immediately beneath the surface course
• It helps in load distribution and may contribute to drainage
• It comprises crushed stone or untreated granular material or stabilized granular material
Subbase Course
• Layer between base course and subgrade; it provides structural support
• Instead of using the more expensive base course material for the entire layer, cheaper materials
can be used as subbase course
• It can minimize intrusion of fines from subgrade into the upper layers
• Subbase course use is based on either necessity or economy and may be omitted
Subgrade or Formation
• The foundation upon which a pavement structure rests
• In cut sections, subgrade soil typically consists of the native (existing) soil.
o If existing soil is poor, it is treated or replaced (improved subgrade)
• In fill sections, subgrade soil comprises imported material
• Prepared subgrade – the top 150 to 300 mm is scarified and compacted to a specified density

Rigid (Concrete) Pavements


• Constructed with Portland cement concrete
• Highly rigid, high modulus of elasticity
• Deflects very little under loading due to high rigidity of concrete slab
• Distribute loads through bending action over wide area of subgrade
• Structural strength is provided mostly by concrete slab
• Flexural strength of concrete is a key design factor
• Uniform subgrade support is extremely important
• Concrete slab may be placed directly on the subgrade or on a layer of unstabilized or stabilized
granular material. The layer under the slab is called a base course; others called it a subbase
• Base or subbase course is not meant to provide structural capacity to pavement

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Concrete Pavement Types
Type Transverse Joint Steel reinforcement
• No mat reinforcement
Jointed Plain Concrete Shorter joint spacing
• Dowel bars transfer load from slab to slab
Pavement (JPCP) (4.5 to 9m)
• Tie bars hold adjacent slabs together
Longer joint spacing • Mat reinforcement allows longer joint spacing; it
Jointed Reinforced Concrete
does not provide structural capacity
Pavement (JRCP) (9 to 30m)
• Dowel and ties bars are provided
• Mat reinforcement holds cracked concrete pieces
Continuously Reinforced together; it does not provide structural capacity
No transverse joints
Concrete Pavement (CRCP) • No dowel bars are provided
• Tie bars are provided

Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP) Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement (JRCP)

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Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP)
(Source: http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/pdm/p_types.htm)

Purpose of Base/Subbase in Concrete Pavements

• Controls pumping
o Pumping is transport of water and material fines to the slab surface through joints,
cracks and along slab edges
o Conditions for pumping: (a) saturated & erodible base material (b) frequent heavy traffic loading

• Improves drainage
o Base course raises pavement to an elevation above water table
o Open-graded base course can drain water that seeps through slab cracks and joints

• Reduces subgrade shrinkage and swelling


o Surcharge load to reduce subgrade soil swelling due to water intrusion
o Dense-graded or stabilized base course may serve as a water-proofing layer
o Open-graded base course may serve as a drainage layer

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• Expedites construction
o Provides working platform for construction
o Keep working surface clean and dry

Base Course Materials Used Under Concrete Pavements


• Crushed stone
• Cement-treated base
• Asphalt-treated base
• Asphalt concrete
• Lean concrete (contains less cement)

Composite Pavements
• They combine both AC and concrete layers. AC pavements with lime or cement stabilized
base or subbase may represent a composite pavement
• Concrete provides strong base and AC provides smooth riding surface
• When AC is placed over concrete, the major load-carrying layer is the concrete
• Behavior under traffic loading is generally the same as concrete pavement
• AC over concrete is expensive and is rarely used in new construction; it mostly results from
rehabilitation, where existing concrete layer is overlaid with AC.

Composite Pavement - Example


• Open-graded AC is a crack relief layer to prevent reflection cracks appearing on AC surface

Dense-Graded AC Surface

Open-Graded AC Base

Concrete Slab

Granular Base

Subgrade

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