THE PERFORMANCE OF A FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT CONSTRUCTED ON A STRONG FABRIC

The structural behaviour under traffic of a bituminous pavement containing a strong woven fabric between the sub-base and a clay of low strength was compared with a control pavement of similar construction but without fabric. The presence of the fabric did not affect the development of rutting in the wheel paths or the deflection of the road surface as measured by a deflection beam. Also the permanent vertical strain in the soil and the transient longitudinal and transverse strain at the bottom of the bituminous layer were not influenced by the fabric. Insufficient measurements were made to draw a firm conclusion about its effect on the transverse strain in the soil. The fabric made construction of the road easier in the very poor weather conditions encountered when the road was built and it prevented the granular sub-base from mixing with the clay. On the section without fabric the sub-base penetrated into the clay to a depth of about 70 mm when it was compacted. (Author/TRRL)