Reinforcement methods designed to increase the residual life expectation of rigid pavements

Abstract

The lifespan of a road structure can be evaluated only based on a traffic forecast. After a road is open to traffic, degradations are starting to developed, even at light and moderate traffic levels. Thus, at a specific time moment during the structure’s lifespan, the residual life expectation of a road can be determined as a function of the degradation state and the forecasted traffic. The degradation state can be evaluated either by using the approximated characteristics of the road construction materials or, based on the real material properties that are experimentally determined on core samples. If the residual life is estimated based on up-to-date traffic forecasts and real road materials properties, the common reinforcement methods used to prologue the lifespan of the structure can be optimized and adapted to the specific conditions of each type of pavement.