Performance Problems and Stabilization Techniques for Granular Shoulders
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 24, Issue 2
Abstract
Shoulder rutting and pavement edge drop-offs are common performance problems associated with granular shoulders. Being hazardous to drivers and difficult to maintain, such problems require more attention. Shoulder rutting is primarily caused by bearing capacity failure of the subgrade, whereas edge drop-offs develop by surface runoff erosion, vehicle-induced wind erosion, or vehicle off-tracking. Evaluating the performance of several granular shoulders in Iowa revealed that 2/3 of the inspected sections had an edge drop-off greater than 38 mm, while 40% had a subgrade layer with a California bearing ratio less than 10. A high-speed camera was used to study vehicle tire-aggregate interaction upon off-tracking. Off-tracking was found to elevate and displace aggregate particles away from the pavement edge. Based on these findings, six test sections were stabilized and monitored. The granular layer of four sections was stabilized using polymer emulsion, foamed asphalt, Portland cement, and soybean oil. The soft subgrade layer of two sections was stabilized using Class C fly ash and biaxial geogrid. This paper discusses granular shoulder performance problems, the repair and monitoring of six stabilized test sections, and recommendations to improve the long-term performance of granular shoulders.
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Acknowledgments
The Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Highway Research Board sponsored this study under Contract No. UNSPECIFIEDTR-531. Numerous people assisted the writers in identifying shoulder sections for investigation. The technical steering committee helped refine the research tasks and provided suggestions. The writers would like to thank Iowa DOT personnel who helped us throughout the project and Jim Howely of Tensar, Inc. for providing the geogrid materials. The writers would also like to acknowledge Heath Gieselman, Mike Kruse, and Amy Heurung for their assistance with field and laboratory testing.UNSPECIFIED
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 24 • Issue 2 • April 2010
Pages: 159 - 169
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 9, 2008
Accepted: Jul 1, 2009
Published online: Jul 3, 2009
Published in print: Apr 2010
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