Rigid pavement

(Hydraulically bound macadam , HBM)

Dr Rawid
Introduction

 Includes Portland cement, lime, pozzolanic

materials etc
 Hydraulic binders rely on chemical reactions
with water
 Results in a hard, strong adhesive mortar
 Focus on mechanical properties (rather
than detailed binder behaviour and chemical
properties)
Strength
 Defined as stress level that can be withstood
prior to failure (peak stress)
 Compressive strength typically between 5MPa
and 20MPa
 Tensile strength typically between 0.1MPa and
3MPa
 Failure linked to tension
Tensile strength

• Not easy to measure!

Flexural strength
 More convenient to measure
 Reasonably representative of stress field in
pavement layer
 Different configurations (3pt, 4pt)
 Maximum bending moment calculated and
related to maximum stress using linear elastic
beam theory
 Tends to over estimate tensile strength
 Indirect tensile strength

 Most convenient (ITSM and ITFT)

 Can be undertaken on cored specimens (field
measurements)
 Compressive applied load induces horizontal
tensile stress
 Quite complex stress system
 Compressive strength

 Least meaningful test (but commonly used)

 Very straightforward to undertake
 Compressive strength

 Problem is complex relationship between

compressive and tensile strengths
 Ratio varies between 5 and 12 (10 typical)
 Depends on:
– Non-linear characteristics in tension
– Variation in Poisson-s ratio
– Frictional end conditions
– Aggregate type (limestone low, granite high)
 Not a fundamental measure!
Strength gain

 HBMs become stronger with time

 Rapid reaction + longer term reaction (can be
over years)
 28 day strength typically used in design
 Testing at 7 days to give an early indication
of problems
 Design properties at 365 days for slow setting
materials (less certain long term performance)
 Strength gain

Strength Cement

Other hydraulic binders

7days 28days 3 months 8 months

Fatigue

 HBMs typically fail under multiple load

applications (lower stress level)
 As long as stress less than 50% of the strength,
life will be long (shallow fatigue slope)
Stress/strength
1

0.5

Cycles to Failure
Durability

 Key to durability (long life) is low permeability

 Interfaces between pavement layers important
Frost damage

 Water expands when it turns into ice

 Can cause fracture in surrounding material
 Measures to combat frost include:
– Air entrainment
– Maintain high strength
– Protect the material from frost
– Deny water access
– Ensure water is never trapped
Thermal properties

 HMBs susceptible to thermal expansion and

contraction (eg 1 kilometre of continuous
concrete road warmed by 10C wants to expand


by about 10cm!)
 Thermal conductivity important
 Joints (or pre-cracking) typically used
 Joint spacing important
Rigid pavement
Common failure
 Stiffness

 2 main ways of measurement

– Strength test (flexural, tensile ...)
– Ultra-sonic testing (stress pulses)
 Depends on stiffness of mortar and aggregate
gradation
Stiffness
Mixture design (wet formed)

 Poured and readily compacted by vibration

 Optimum water content
 Low water content gives lower strength (some
binder not used)
 High water content give lower strength
(formation of most effective compounds
inhibited)
 Concrete must also be workable (slump test)
Mixture design (wet formed)
Mixture design (roller compacted)

• Significantly lower optimum water content than

wet formed
Fibre reinforced concrete

• Addition of fibres can control shrinkage and

reinforce
 Summary
 HBMs are susceptible to stress generated by
restrained thermal expansion or contraction
 The general mode of failure for all hydraulically
bound materials is tensile
 Failure can occur at levels much lower than the
tensile limit due fatigue
 Slow-setting mixtures, particularly those mixed
in-situ, present additional problems in assuring a
product of suitable quality
Assignment
 Assignment

Calculate the required layer thicknesses for a new

asphalt concrete pavement on a fair draining base and
sub grade (i.e. The water drains out of the pavement
within a period of one week). It is estimated that the
pavement structure becomes saturated less frequently
than 1% of the time.
ESAL for 12 year period = 2.5 million
Sub grade resilient modulus = 30,000 psi
Assume values of reliability, standard deviation and
serviceability index.