ROAD MAINTENANCE; TECHNICAL ASPECTS REGARDING THE CHOICE OF GEOSYNTHETICS

A variety of untraditional solutions involving the use of various types of geosynthetics have turned up world-wide over the last 30 years as a result of the need to maintain an increasing number of worn-down roads to obtain an acceptable standard and comfort for vehicles. Improvements to common methods of road maintenance have been highlighted, in order to accomplish the road maintenance within a generally more and more pared-down budget. To obtain the expected surplus advantages, cost-benefit savings, and to decide between the adding of either necessary reinforcement or membrane effect to the road construction, the choice of an actual solution must be based on two factors: Both on the actual condition of the existing road (taking into aspect the eventual insufficient road maintenance, ordinary wear or previous use of inadequate road construction materials) and on the surroundings of the road (e.g. subsoil or surface water, subbase condition, actual traffic etc.). This paper thus focuses on some main principles when choosing between the use of strong rigid materials for reinforcement and the use of flexible paving fabrics for the creating of membrane effects. For the covering abstract see ITRD E109276.