01088858

Component

In order to accommodate the increase of traffic flow, there was widespread demand for low-volume road widening in China. The widening process can cause cracks on the original pavement, which should be prevented as much as possible. To investigate the effectiveness of reinforcement in road widening, centrifuge tests were conducted at Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute and a plain strain finite element model was also developed. The behavior of embankment and foundation to widening was compared between reinforcement and non-reinforcement condition, through the measured and calculated response including settlement, horizontal displacement, pore water pressure, and shear stress. It was found the road widening causes the change of original pavement transverse slope due to nonuniform settlements and the horizontal movement at the shoulder of original embankment, which was responsible for the potential longitudinal top-down pavement cracking. Although the difference is small, it was clearly seen that the geosynthetic reinforcement reduces the nonuniform settlement and horizontal movement in road widening, as well as slightly increases the embankment stability. In these ways the reinforcement could minimize the potential of top-down pavement cracking in road widening.

01084478

08-2360

English

17p

2008

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (13) ; References (16) ; Tables (1)

Cracking; Dislocation (Geology); Embankments; Finite element method; Foundations; Ground settlement; Low volume roads; Material reinforcement; Pavement design; Pavement performance; Pavement widening; Pore water pressures; Shear stress

China

Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-2360

TRIS, TRB

Jan 29 2008 4:45PM