In the late 1980s the State Roads Department authorized the use of weathered rocks as base and sub-base materials for paving low-volume roads. Seven experimental sections were built in different regions, totalling nearly 100 km, and comprehensive studies were carried out over the next decade. From May 1996 to July 1999 the traffic simulator applied more than 500,000 loading cycles to eight full-scale test sections with weathered basalt bases and/or sub-bases. APT results and reliability analysis allowed proposing a design equation and construction procedures for weathered basalt bases. In 1998, the research results began to be put into practice. 21 km of a low-volume road were paved using the technology developed along the study. In 2001 and 2002, the bearing capacity and serviceability of this experimental pavement were evaluated. Deflections, rut depths and roughness were measured and surface distresses mapped. This article briefly summarizes the results of each stage of the research and presents the results of the field investigations recently carried out. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E208431.
Samenvatting