This paper presents results from a study of the impact of environmentalinteraction on the deformation behavior of flexible pavements with geosynthetic basalreinforcement. Falling Weight Deflectometer, Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves,static plate load, and cyclic plate load tests were performed on a low-volume,geosynthetic-reinforced, asphalt pavement frontage road in Eastern Arkansas atdifferent times of the year. The results from these tests indicate a noticeable seasonaleffect in the deformation response of the pavement. The seasonal effects on thedeformation behavior were assessed using simulations of heat and water flow throughthe pavement soils under atmospheric boundary conditions with VADOSE/W.Evaluation of the predicted suction and temperature profiles indicates thattemperature affects the measured deformation response. Although the results fromthese tests clearly indicate that pavement sections with greater base course thicknesshave a stiffer response, geosynthetic basal reinforcement was not observed to lead toa substantial improvement in pavement deformation response at this site.
展开▼
