Geogrid-Reinforced Low-Volume Flexible Pavements: Pavement Response and Geogrid Optimal Location
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 9
Abstract
This article discusses the geogrid’s potential to reduce granular base shear flow. Researchers have previously acknowledged the geogrid’s potential to enhance the performance of roadways, but this study goes further to (1) investigate the effectiveness of a geogrid when it is used to reinforce low-volume conventional flexible pavements constructed on low-strength subgrade and (2) to specify the optimal location for installing a geogrid in a low-volume pavement system. To quantify the effectiveness of a geogrid in flexible pavements, nine low-volume pavement design sections were constructed at the University of Illinois Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Laboratory (ATREL). A total of 173 instruments were embedded in the pavement layers during construction to measure pavement responses. The test sections were then loaded using an accelerated loading system, and the pavements’ responses to conventional dual-tire loading were measured. This paper reveals how various pavement designs responded when exposed to the same loading conditions, specifically that the geogrid contribution to enhancing low-volume pavements is through reducing the longitudinal and transverse shear deformation in unbound layers. The study also determined the optimal location for installing geogrid in pavements.
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Acknowledgments
This study is sponsored by Tensar Earth Technologies, Inc. The assistance of J. Baek, P. J. Yoo, E. Fini, J. Meister, M. Elseifi, B. Harkanwal, J. Anochie-Boateng, C. Montgomery, K. Jiang, and Z. Leng during pavement construction and instrumentation is greatly appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 9 • September 2012
Pages: 1083 - 1090
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 10, 2009
Accepted: Jan 6, 2012
Published online: Aug 15, 2012
Published in print: Sep 1, 2012
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