HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

CEE-301

PAVEMENT DESIGN
Lecture no 6-A

Engr. Adnan Yousaf

ayousaf@ciit.net.pk

Department of Civil Engg. COMSATS Abbottabad

1
 PAVEMENT

The pavement is the structure which

separates the tyres of vehicles from the
underlying foundation material.
Generally soil but it may be structural
concrete or a steel bridge deck.
 TYPES OF PAVEMENT

Flexible Rigid
Pavements Pavements

Essential difference is the way load is

distributed
Flexible
■ Structural capacity by load
distribution characteristics of
the layered system,
■ Load intensity reduces through
depth and it is distributed over
sub grade.
■ Deep deflection basin
■ Low modulus of elasticity.
■ More role of sub grade strength
Rigid
■ Most structural capacity by slab
itself, major factor in design is
structural strength.
■ Relatively minor contribution to
load carrying capacity by sub
base.
■ Shallow deflection basin
■ High modulus of elasticity.
■ Minor variation in Sub grade
strength, little influence.
■ Basic purpose was to distinguish between AC and PCC
pavements.
■ Generally AC (asphalt concrete) pavements are referred
as flexible and PCC or RCC as rigid.
– Thin PCC over granular behaves as flexible.
– Full depth AC pavement & chip seal over PCC
behaves as rigid
■ No structure behaves perfectly Rigid or Flexible
■ Structural Response Models Different analysis methods for AC and PCC

AC PCC Slab

Base
Subgrade
Subgrade

• Layered system behavior • Slab action predominates

• All layers carry part of load • Slab carries most load
 FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS
Flexible Pavements maintain intimate contact with
and distributes loads to the sub grade and depends
on aggregate interlock, particle friction, and cohesion
for stability.
Asphalt Concrete Aggregate Base Course

Natural Soil (Subgrade)

Aggregate Subbase Course

 Typical Load
Distribution in
Flexible Pavement Wheel Load

Bituminous Layer

Sub-grade
 RIGID PAVEMENTS
 Rigid Pavements are wearing surfaces constructed
of Portland Cement Concrete on sub grade or
granular sub base.
 Contains sufficient beam strength to bridge over
localized sub-grade failures and areas of
inadequate support. Required for
 Control of pumping.
 Control of frost action.
 Drainage.
 Control of shrinkage and swell of sub grade.
 Expeditious construction.
Concrete Slab
Sub Base

Sub-grade
Steel in Concrete Pavements
■ Used for temperature reinforcement purposes, dowel or tie bar.
■ Mesh does not prevent cracking but slows down propagation.
■ Dowel bars transfer load.
■ Tie bars not intended for load transfer.
Wheel Load, Configuration and Tyre Pressure
■ Gross weight transferred to pavement through axles and
tyres.
■ Different configurations
– Single, dual, tandem
ESWL

■ The concept of ESWL is used to convert ‘equivalent effect’ of ‘any axle

configuration wheel’ to ‘single wheel configuration’.
■ Axle loads are used rather than wheel loads
■ Effect may be stress, strain or surface deflection.
■ Tyre pressure determine the load contact area used in pavement design.
 13.6
Tons Failure = 10,000
Repetitions
11.3 Tons
Failure = 100,000
Repetitions
4.5 Tons
Failure = 1,000,000 Repetitions

2.3 Tons
Failure = 10,000,000
4.5 Repetitions
13.6 Tons Tons
Failure = Repetitions ?
11.3 Tons 2.3 Tons
 RELATIVE DAMAGE CONCEPT

Equivalent
18000 - Ibs Damage per
Standard ESAL Pass = 1
(8.2 tons)
Axle Load

• Axle loads bigger than 8.2 tons cause damage

greater than one per pass
• Axle loads smaller than 8.2 tons cause damage less
than one per pass
• Load Equivalency Factor (L.E.F) = (? Tons/8.2
tons)4
 Consider two single axles A and B where:
A-Axle = 16.4 tons
 Damage caused per pass by A -Axle = (16.4/8.2)4 = 16
 This means that A-Axle causes same amount of damage
per pass as caused by 16 passes of standard 8.2 tons axle
i.e,

=
16.4 Tons 8.2 Tons
Axle Axle
 Consider two single axles A and B where:
B-Axle = 4.1 tons
 Damage caused per pass by B-Axle = (4.1/8.2)4 = 0.0625
 This means that B-Axle causes only 0.0625 times damage
per pass as caused by 1 pass of standard 8.2 tons axle.
 In other works, 16 passes (1/0.625) of B-Axle cause same
amount of damage as caused by 1 pass of standard 8.2 tons
axle i.e.,

=
4.1 Tons 8.2 Tons
Axle Axle
 AXLE LOAD & RELATIVE DAMAGE

75.2
80

63.4
70

DAMAGE PER PASS

53.1
60

44.1
50

36.3
29.5
40

23.8
18.9
30

14.9
11.5
20

8.7
6.5
4.7
3.3
2.3
10
1.1
1.0

0
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
SINGLE AXLE LOAD (Tons)