National Concrete Pavement Technology Center

Project description

Geosynthetics are available in a wide range of forms and materials and are used in many applications. Geosynthetics are often used by highway agencies in conjunction with unbound base layers as a means for enhancing the performance of pavements. Test methods are currently available to estimate the performance enhancement resulting from the use of geosynthetics in the pavement structure (e.g., ASTM D8462, Cyclic Plate Load Tests to Evaluate the Structural Performance of Roadway Test Sections with Geosynthetics). However, there is concern about the validation of the test methods and reliability of the resulting estimates. Research is needed to evaluate the merits of the tests currently used for estimating the benefits of geosynthetics and, if necessary, enhance these test methods or develop new methods that can reliably estimate the contribution of geosynthetics to pavement performance. Such test methods will help highway agencies and others in making decisions regarding use of geosynthetics in pavement structure. The objective of this research is to develop a practical, validated laboratory test method for estimating the contribution of geosynthetics to pavement performance. The research shall be limited to asphalt pavements and use of geogrids and geotextiles in unbound base and subgrade.