Characterisation and Performance Evaluation of Granular Bases Project: Pavement Construction Report

A new rut resistance approach based on the wheel-tracking test for unbound granular materials has been developed. The objective of the Austroads project TT1819 is to validate the wheel-tracker laboratory approach against large-scale Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF) pavement performance results. A major component of the research project involves collecting permanent deformation data under accelerated loading. This report details the construction of the test pavements. Four unbound granular pavements were constructed at the ALF in Dandenong, Melbourne. Each pavement comprised an unbound granular base of 300 mm nominal thickness supported by a 150 mm thick cement-treated subbase to isolate the deformation in the top layer. Each of the four pavements was built from different road base materials anticipated to provide contrasts in rut resistance. For each material three, 12m long possible ALF testing sites have been prepared. Thickness and density data have been collected during the construction process indicating that the four pavements are uniform and appropriate to be tested under ALF trafficking. The testing program will be based on pavement surface permanent deformation monitoring under a given axle load.