Pavement is the upper part of roadway, airport or parking area structure

It includes all layers resting on the original ground

It consists of all structural elements or layers, including shoulders
Functions of the Pavement
Reduce and distribute the traffic loading so as not to damage the subgrade
Provide vehicle access between two points under all-weather conditions
Provide safe, smooth and comfortable ride to road users without undue
delays and excessive wear & tear

 Meet environmental and aesthetics requirement

Limited noise and air pollution
Reasonable economy
Requirements of pavement structure
Sufficient thickness to spread loading to a pressure intensity tolerable by
subgade
Sufficiently strong to carry imposed stress due to traffic load
Sufficient thickness to prevent the effect of frost susceptible subgade
Pavement material should be impervious to penetration of surface water
which could weaken subgade and subsequently pavement
Pavement mat. shd be non-frost susceptible
Pavement surface shd. be skid resistant
Classification of Pavements

Flexible Pavements:
Flexible pavement can be defined as the one consisting of a mixture of asphaltic or bituminous
material and aggregates placed on a bed of compacted granular material of appropriate quality in
layers over the subgrade. Water bound macadam roads and stabilized soil roads with or without
asphaltic toppings are examples of flexible pavements.
The design of flexible pavement is based on the principle that for a load of any magnitude, the
intensity of a load diminishes as the load is transmitted downwards from the surface by virtue of
spreading over an increasingly larger area, by carrying it deep enough into the ground through
successive layers of granular material.

Fig: Flexible Pavement Cross-section

Thus for flexible pavement, there can be grading in the quality of materials used, the materials
with high degree of strength is used at or near the surface. Thus the strength of subgrade
primarily influences the thickness of the flexible pavement.

Rigid Pavements:
A rigid pavement is constructed from cement concrete or reinforced concrete slabs. Grouted
concrete roads are in the category of semi-rigid pavements.
The design of rigid pavement is based on providing a structural cement concrete slab of
sufficient strength to resists the loads from traffic. The rigid pavement has rigidity and high
modulus of elasticity to distribute the load over a relatively wide area of soil.

Fig: Rigid Pavement Cross-Section

Minor variations in subgrade strength have little influence on the structural capacity of a rigid
pavement. In the design of a rigid pavement, the flexural strength of concrete is the major factor
and not the strength of subgrade. Due to this property of pavement, when the subgrade deflects
beneath the rigid pavement, the concrete slab is able to bridge over the localized failures and
areas of inadequate support from subgrade because of slab action.

Types of Flexible Pavements

The following types of construction have been used in flexible
pavement:
Conventional layered flexible pavement,
Full - depth asphalt pavement, and

 Contained rock asphalt mat (CRAM).

Conventional flexible pavements are layered systems with high
quality expensive materials are placed in the top where stresses are
high, and low quality cheap materials are placed in lower layers.
Full - depth asphalt pavements are constructed by placing
bituminous layers directly on the soil sub-grade. This is more
suitable when there is high traffic and local materials are not
available.
Contained rock asphalt mats are constructed by placing
dense/open graded aggregate layers in between two asphalt layers.
Modified dense graded asphalt concrete is placed above the subgrade will significantly reduce the vertical compressive strain on soil
sub-grade and protect from surface water.

Pavements Comparison
Flexible pavements:
Deep foundations / multi layer construction
Energy consumption due to transportation of materials
Increasing cost of asphalt due to high oil prices
Rigid pavements
Single layer
Generally last longer
May require asphalt topping due to noise / comfort
issues

Difference between Flexible Pavements and Rigid

Pavements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Flexible Pavement
It consists of a series of layers with the
highest quality materials at or near the
surface of pavement.
It reflects the deformations of subgrade and
subsequent layers on the surface.
Its stability depends upon the aggregate
interlock, particle friction and cohesion.
Pavement design is greatly influenced by
the subgrade strength.
It functions by a way of load distribution
through the component layers
Temperature variations due to change in
atmospheric conditions do not produce
stresses in flexible pavements.
Flexible pavements have self healing
properties due to heavier wheel loads are
recoverable due to some extent.

Rigid Pavement
It consists of one layer Portland cement concrete
slab or relatively high flexural strength.
It is able to bridge over localized failures and area
of inadequate support.
Its structural strength is provided by the pavement
slab itself by its beam action.
Flexural strength of concrete is a major factor for
design.
It distributes load over a wide area of subgrade
because of its rigidity and high modulus of
elasticity.
Temperature changes induce heavy stresses in rigid
pavements.
Any excessive deformations occurring due to
heavier wheel loads are not recoverable, i.e.
settlements are permanent.

COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT

Flexible pavements support loads through bearing rather than flexural action. They comprise
several layers of carefully selected materials designed to gradually distribute loads from the
pavement surface to the layers underneath. The design ensures the load transmitted to each
successive layer does not exceed the layers load-bearing capacity. A typical flexible pavement
section is shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 depicts the distribution of the imposed load to the
subgrade. The various
layers composing a flexible pavement and the functions they perform are described below:
a) Bituminous Surface (Wearing Course). The bituminous surface, or wearing course, is made
up of a mixture of various selected aggregates bound together with asphalt cement or other
bituminous binders. This surface prevents the penetration of surface water to the base course;
provides a smooth, well-bonded surface free from loose particles, which might endanger aircraft
or people; resists the stresses caused by aircraft loads; and supplies a skid-resistant surface
without causing undue wear on tires.
b) Base Course. The base course serves as the principal structural component of the flexible
pavement. It distributes the imposed wheel load to the pavement foundation, the subbase, and/or

the subgrade. The base course must have sufficient quality and thickness to prevent failure in the
subgrade and/or subbase, withstand the stresses produced in the base itself, resist vertical
pressures that tend to produce consolidation and result in distortion of the surface course, and
resist volume changes caused by fluctuations in its moisture content. The materials composing
the base course are select hard and durable aggregates, which generally fall into two main
classes: stabilized and granular. The stabilized bases normally consist of crushed or uncrushed
aggregate bound with a stabilizer, such as Portland cement or bitumen. The quality of the base
course is a function of its composition, physical properties, and compaction of the material.
c) Subbase. This layer is used in areas where frost action is severe or the subgrade soil is
extremely weak. The subbase course functions like the base course. The material requirements
for the subbase are not as strict as those for the base course since the subbase is subjected to
lower load stresses. The subbase consists of stabilized or properly compacted granular material.
The sub-base course is between the base course and the sub-grade. It functions primarily
as structural support but it can also:
Minimize the intrusion of fines from the sub-grade into the pavement structure.
Improves drainage.
Minimize frost action damage.
Provides a working platform for construction.

d) Frost Protection Layer. Some flexible pavements require a frost protection layer. This layer
functions the same way in either a flexible or a rigid pavement.
e) Subgrade. The subgrade is the compacted soil layer that forms the foundation of the
pavement system. Subgrade soils are subjected to lower stresses than the surface, base, and
subbase courses. Since load stresses decrease with depth, the controlling subgrade stress usually
lies at the top of the subgrade. The combined thickness of subbase, base, and wearing surface
must be great enough to reduce the stresses occurring in the subgrade to values that will not
cause excessive distortion or displacement of the subgrade soil layer.

Fig 1: Typical flexible pavement structure

Fig 2: Distribution of load stress in flexible pavement

Load Distribution In Flexible Pavements

Bitu
mino
us
Laye
r

Subgrad
e

LOAD DISTRIBUTION IN RIGID PAVEMENT

Structure of Rigid Pavement

Surface course. This is the top layer, which consists of the PCC slab,
reinforced or continuously reinforced slabs .
Base course. This is the layer directly below the PCC layer and
generally consists of aggregate or stabilized sub-grade.
Sub-base course. This is the layer (or layers) under the base layer. A
sub-base is not always needed and therefore may often be omitted.
Surface Course
The surface course is the layer in contact with traffic loads and is made of
PCC or RCC. It provides characteristics such as friction, smoothness, noise
control and drainage. In addition, it serves as a waterproofing layer to the
underlying base, sub-base and sub-grade.
The surface course can vary in thickness but is usually between 150 mm (6
inches for light loading) and 300 mm (12 inches for heavy loads and high
traffic). Figure shows a 300 mm (12 inch) surface course.
Base Course
The base course is immediately beneath the surface course. It provides
Additional load distribution,
Contributes to drainage and frost resistance,
Uniform support to the pavement and
A stable platform for construction equipment. Bases also help
and prevent sub grade soil movement due to slab pumping.
Base courses are usually constructed out of:
Aggregates base. A simple base course of crushed aggregates has
been a common option since the early 1900s and is still appropriate in
many situations.

 Stabilized aggregate or soil. Stabilizing agents are used to bind

otherwise loose particles to one another, providing strength and
cohesion. Cement treated bases (CTB s) can be built to as much as 20
- 25 percent of the surface course strength.
Dense-graded HMA. In situations where high base stiffness is desired
base courses can be constructed using a dense-graded HMA layer.
Permeable HMA. In certain situations where high base stiffness and
excellent drainage is desired, base courses can be constructed using an
open graded HMA.
Sub-base Course
The sub-base course is the portion of the pavement structure between the
base course and the sub-grade. It functions primarily as structural support
but it can also:
Minimize the intrusion of fines from the sub-grade into the pavement
structure.
Improves drainage.
Minimizes frost action damage.
Provides a working platform for construction.
The sub-base generally consists of lower quality materials than the base
course but better than the sub-grade soils. Appropriate materials are
aggregates and high quality structural fill.

Airport-Highway Pavements

Guidelines on Composite Pavement

Generally in a true sense, a composite pavement is defined as a pavement which is
constructed with a rigid pavement as the lower layer and a flexible pavement
surfacing or wearing course on the top or vice versa
.
The flexible (asphalt concrete) surface is designed to provide special functions such
as frictional resistance, wear resistance, better traffic delineation, thermal insulation,
and protection against adverse environmental effects.

Composite Pavement
A composite pavement is composed of both hot mix asphalt (HMA) and hydraulic cement
concrete. Typically, composite pavements are asphalt overlays on top of concrete pavements. The
HMA overlay may have been placed as the final stage of initial construction, or as part of a
rehabilitation or safety treatment. Composite pavement behavior under traffic loading is
essentially the same as rigid pavement.