Analytical assessment of the impact of material properties on the performance of flexible and composite highway pavements in Flanders

Abstract

The configuration of pavement material has an important impact on pavement performance. Several different pavement material configurations are used in Flanders. This paper aims to determine which pavement configuration is economically interesting and performs well on two types of pavement damages: fatigue cracking and rutting. This is investigated by creating seven flexible and composite pavement configurations according to SB250. The methodology is based on a damage analysis performed for fatigue cracking and rutting on the pavement configurations using the 3D-Move analysis software. The results of the pavement analysis showed that the composite pavements have the least strain in the x-x and z-z directions, meaning they are the least sensitive to fatigue cracking and rutting. This can be explained by the E-modulus of the materials used in these configurations being higher than those used in flexible pavement configurations. Finally, this research recommends a pavement configuration consisting of an AGT top layer, cement-stabilized crushed stone, or roller-compacted concrete base layer. These configurations perform the best overall economic and pavement performance.