DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ROAD AND A PAVEMENT

ROAD is an open, generally public way for the passage of vehicles, people, and
animals
PAVEMENT is a road finished with a hard smooth surface. It makes the road
durable and able to withstand traffic and the environment.

PAVEMENT FUNCTIONS
The primary functions of a pavement are to:
PROVIDE A REASONABLY SMOOTH RIDING SURFACE: A smooth riding
surface (Low Roughness) is essential for riding comfort, and over the years it has
become the measure of how road users perceive a road. Roughness can arise
from a number of causes, most often however it is from pavement distress due to
structural deformation. Roughness is the distress parameter used by the vehicle
operating cost sub-models of a pavement management system, to estimate the
timing, type and cost of maintenance needs.
PROVIDE ADEQUATE SURFACE FRICTION (SKID RESISTANCE): In addition
to a riding comfort, the other road user requirement is that of safety. Safety,
especially during wet conditions can be linked to a loss of surface friction
between the tyre and the pavement surface. A pavement must therefore provide
sufficient surface friction and texture to ensure road user safety under all
conditions.
PROTECT THE SUBGRADE: The supporting soil beneath the pavement is
commonly referred to as the subgrade, should it be over-stressed by the applied
axle loads it will deform and lose its ability to properly support these axle loads.
Therefore, the pavement must have sufficient structural capacity (strength and
thickness) to adequately reduce the actual stresses so that they do not exceed
the strength of the subgrade. The strength and thickness requirements of a
pavement can vary greatly depending on the combination of subgrade type and
loading condition (magnitude and number of axle loads).
PROVIDE WATERPROOFING: The pavement surfacing acts as a waterproofing
surface that prevent the underlaying support layers including the subgrade from
becoming saturated through moisture ingress. When saturated, soil loses its
ability to adequately support the applied axle loads, which will lead to premature
failure of the pavement.

TYPES OF PAVEMENT

Pavements are typically divided into the following three general categories: flexible, rigid
and unpaved (gravel or dirt). For the purpose of this document only flexible and rigid
pavements are discussed.
FLEXIBLE (BITUMINOUS) PAVEMENTS
Flexible pavements are constructed of several layers of natural granular material
covered with one or more waterproof bituminous surface layers, and as the name
implies, is considered to be flexible. A flexible pavement will flex (bend) under the load
of a tyre. The objective with the design of a flexible pavement is to avoid the excessive
flexing of any layer, failure to achieve this will result in the over stressing of a layer,
which ultimately will cause the pavement to fail. In flexible pavements, the load
distribution pattern changes from one layer to another, because the strength of each
layer is different. The strongest material (least flexible) is in the top layer and the
weakest material (most flexible) is in the lowest layer. The reason for this is that at the
surface the wheel load is applied to a small area, the result is high stress levels, deeper
down in the pavement, the wheel load is applied to larger area, the result is lower stress
levels thus enabling the use of weaker materials.

RIGID (CONCRETE) PAVEMENTS

As opposed to a flexible pavement that develops its strength from a layer system, rigid
pavements rely on the strength of the concrete surface typically ranging from 150 to 300
mm for strength. As the name states, rigid pavements are considered to be rigid,
implying that the pavement will not flex (bend). This is not entirely accurate, since even
a rigid pavement will flex, the amount is however so small that when compared with a
flexible pavement, it is considered rigid.
The increased rigidity of concrete allows the concrete surface layer to bridge small weak
areas in the supporting layer through what is known as beam action. This allows the
placement of rigid pavements on relatively weak supporting layers, as long as the
supporting layer material particles will not be carried away by water forced up by the
pumping action of wheel loads.

EARTHWORK
With a contractor on board, earthwork can begin. Earthwork is one of the most
important elements in road construction because it establishes a stable foundation. A
roadway with a substandard foundation will fail prematurely. That is why the road's base
layers are as important as the finished surface.
First, the contractor builds embankments using cuts and fills.
Next, a grader or bulldozer levels the screened dirt. Leveling bumps and filling in
dips creates a surface that will support a road for decades.
The screened dirt is sprayed with water and compacted to its maximum density.
During this stage, the contactor installs drains and sewers. The center of the road
must be higher than the edges so water will run off into the storm sewers.
Drainage is a critical element because improper drainage will greatly reduce the
new pavement's life expectancy.
All of this work must pass strict inspections before the project can continue.
To complete the earthwork, the contractor places gravel in 12-inch layers on the
road bed. Workers moisten and compact each layer. Layers are added and
compacted until the road bed reaches the height called for in the design.

FIXED FORM PAVING

There are two methods for paving with concreteslipform and fixed form. In fixed-form
paving, stationary metal forms are set and aligned on a solid foundation and staked
rigidly. Final preparation and shaping of the subgrade or subbase is completed after the
forms are set. Forms are cleaned and oiled first to ensure that they release from the
concrete after the concrete hardens. Once concrete is deposited near its final position
on the subgrade, spreading is completed by a mechanical spreader riding on top of the
preset forms and the concrete. The spreading machine is followed by one or more
machines that shape, consolidate, and float finish the concrete. After the concrete has
reached a required strength, the forms are removed and curing of the edges begins
immediately.

SLIP FORM PAVING

Slip form paving is defined as a process used to consolidate, form into geometric
shape and surface finish a PCC mass by pulling the forms continuously through and
surrounding the plastic concrete mass.
Slip form paving is most appropriate for larger jobs that require high production
rates. Particular advantages of slip form paving are:

Uses low-slump PCC. Low-slump PCC (on the order of 0 75 mm (0 3

inches)) is necessary so that the fresh PCC is able to hold its shape once the slip
form paver has passed. Low slump PCC can be made with less water and
usually has higher compression and flexural strengths than comparable high
slump mixes.
High productivity. Large jobs generally require high production rates in order to
be profitable. Slip form paving production rates are typically in the range of 65
100 m3/hr (85 131 yd 3/hr) for mainline paving. That translates into between 70
90 m/hr (230 300 ft./hr) of 3.66 m (12 ft.) wide, 250 mm (10 inch) thick PCC
surface course.
Smooth riding surface. Automation and computer control allow slip form pavers
to produce very smooth riding surfaces (IRI on the order of 0.90 m/km or less).

This section presents PCC placement, consolidation, finishing and curing as it is

typically done in slip form paving. Most often, these steps are accomplished by three
pieces of equipment: the placer/spreader (used for rough placement), the concrete
paver (used for final placement, consolidation and initial finishing), and the texturing
and curing machine. These machines usually travel together in series down the length
of the project.
PLACER/SPREADER
Although not always used, placer/spreaders are quite common. They place a
metered supply of PCC in front of the paver using a series of conveyor belts, augers,
plows and strike off devices (see Figures 1 and 2). Using a placer/spreader allows the
contractor to receive material from transport vehicles and place a uniform amount of
PCC in front of the entire paver width, while minimizing segregation.

Figure 1. Large placer/spreader.

Figure 2. Smaller placer/spreader.

Figure 3. Placer/spreader receiving PCC from an end dump truck

and placing it in front of the PCC paver.

The paver usually performs screeding, consolidation and initial finishing. A typical
track-mounted, self-propelled paver operates at speeds between 1 and 2.5 m/minute (3
and 8 ft./min) . Some pavers are equipped to place reinforcing steel (if needed), dowel
bars and tie rods as well. Figure 4 shows the basic slip form paving process as it occurs
underneath the paver. First, an auger spreads the PCC in front of the strike off plate.
Second, the strike off plate (screed) removes excess portions of the auger-placed PCC
and brings the slab near its final elevation. Third, the PCC is consolidated by a group of
vibrators. Fourth, a tamper (typically operating between 0 and 150 strokes per minute),
if present, pushes large aggregate particles below the slab surface. Finally, the profile
pans level off the slab at the right elevation and provide initial finishing. The remainder
of this section describes this process in more detail.
CONSOLIDATION
After screeding, the paver consolidates the fresh PCC using a series of vibrators
(Figure 5). Typically, the most effective vibrator position is after the strike-off mechanism
and at the final slab elevation. Depending upon mix design and slab depth, vibrators are

usually set in the 7,000 9,000 vibrations per minute (VPM) range. Vibrators are
positioned next to one another such that their influence zones overlap by about 50 75
mm (2 3 inches) at normal paver speed. Gaps between the influence zones (caused
by incorrect vibrator settings or excessively fast paver operation) can cause
segregation. Most pavers use fully adjustable vibrator spacing to account for different
conditions and mix types, while still providing adequate influence zone overlap.

Figure 5. PCC vibrators on the underside of

a paving machine.

Figure 6. Sideforms and profile pan.

INITIAL FINISHING
Initial finishing is accomplished by extruding the PCC mass through a moving form
made up of the base course (bottom), the side forms (vertical edges of the paver) and
the profile pan (flat paver pieces mounted behind the vibrator) (Figure 6). Extruding
PCC through the resulting rectangular shape provides the final slab dimensions and
also serves to imbed larger aggregate particles below the surface, which results in a
smooth finish. Some pavers are also equipped with a hydraulic tamper bar (sometimes
called a jitterbug), located just behind the vibrators. By moving up and down, the
tamper bar is thought to:
1. Assist in consolidation and finishing by tamping large aggregate particles below
the slab surface.
2. Keep the large aggregate moving in an area where it may have tendencies to
stop or stick.
3. Keep the material moving around the vibrators so as not to collect and cause
flow problems.
4. However, a tamper may not be necessary on many jobs. Although it forces the
coarse aggregate away from the surface, making finishing easier, it can also
creates a mortar-rich surface layer which could scale or craze. Usually, a tamper
is not necessary with a well designed PCC mixture, however, it may be helpful
when finishing a harsh, low-slump mixture.

Additional finishing, when needed, occurs just behind the profile pan and is usually
accomplished using simple floats (Figure 7). Microtexturing is usually accomplished by
dragging a section of burlap (Figure 8) or artificial turf (Figure 9) behind the paver.

Figure 7. Hand finishing behind the paver.

Figure 8. Burlap drag.

Figure 9. Artificial turf drag.

TEXTURING AND CURING MACHINE

The texturing and curing machine follows the paver and is used to impart macrotexture
(usually by dragging a tined instrument across the fresh pavement Figure 10) and
apply a curing membrane over the pavement. Sometimes the paver is equipped with a
tining machine, while a separate machine is used for applying the curing membrane.
Although it used to be quite common, slip formed PCC pavement is rarely if ever water
cured due to the high material and labor costs. Figures 11 and 12 show curing
machines in operation.

Figure 10. Tined texturing carriage.

Curing is typically done once finishing of an area is complete and the original wet sheen
has nearly disappeared. On tined pavements, curing is usually specified to occur in two
passes, one forward and one in reverse, to ensure both sides of the texture ridges are
coated with curing membrane.

Figure 11. Spraying the curing membrane.

Figure 12. Spraying curing membrane close-up.

PLACEMENT OF DOWELS OR TIE BARS

The specifications can stipulate that the dowels have to be inserted automatically into
the fresh concrete. In that case, the longitudinal location at which the dowels are to be
placed must be indicated very carefully along both sides of the road so that later, the
joints are sawed precisely above the middle of the dowels.
Tie bars can be installed in the longitudinal joints as follows
either by inserting them into the fresh concrete by means of a tie bar inserter
attached to the slipform paver;
or by placing them on metal supporting chairs; in that case the same precautions
have to be be taken as described for placing dowels;or by chemically anchoring
them in holes drilled in the hardened concrete.

In no case tie bars can be inserted into the fresh concrete once the slipform paver has
passed.

EXECUTION OF JOINTS
All the equipment that is necessary to make joints in the fresh or hardened concrete
must be present at the construction site.
The saw blades have to be suitable to the quality of the concrete, i.e. to the hardness
and the abrasion resistance of the aggregates. It is useful to have spare equipment
available in case of a defect.
The beam for making a construction joint shall be rigid and shall allow the realization of
a straight joint perpendicular to the axis of the road. This beam has to be adapted to the
type of pavement (jointed pavement, continuously reinforced concrete pavement).

REFERENCES:

http://www.cement.org/cement-concrete-basics/products/concrete-pavement
http://www.eupave.eu/documents/graphics/inventory-of-documents/febelcempublicaties/road-pavements-of-cement-concrete.pdf
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9615-129011--,00.html
http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?
Session_ID=f11ce1a49e0371f69ccd6725ae9aab0a&Category_ID=40
http://www.pavementinteractive.org/article/slipform-paving/
http://www.slideshare.net/ravigupta9066/construction-of-cement-concrete