Three Types of Pavements in Road Construction

The portion of the road that is used for traffic is known as the pavement, and it is made up of several layers of material that are layered over the natural ground (subgrade). The pavement engineer planning the road must choose the appropriate material and layer thickness to ensure that the pavement remains usable for the duration of its design life. This article enlists the different types of pavements in road construction.

Fremont, CA: The portion of the road that is used for traffic is known as the pavement, and it is made up of several layers of material that are layered over the natural ground (subgrade). The layers of pavement distribute the vehicle load such that it doesn't surpass the subgrade's strength.

In order to ensure that the pavement remains usable for the duration of its design life, the pavement engineer planning the road must choose the appropriate material and layer thickness.

There are two primary categories of pavement construction techniques and road surface types: single-layer rigid pavement and multi-layer flexible pavement. Materials like asphalt and concrete are frequently used to make pavements. However, they can also be built out of wood, tiles, flagstone, cobblestone, artificial stone, or bricks.

Rigid Pavements

An in-situ concrete slab, either reinforced or unreinforced, is placed over a granular subbase during the construction of rigid pavements. The pavement's flexural strength transfers the load across a larger area of the subgrade, acting as a rigid plate to sustain loads. Road pavement made of concrete is durable and typically has joints to prevent cracking.

High axle loads and extremely high traffic volumes are not a problem for concrete road surfaces. They are becoming more prevalent in cities, ports, and other places where large vehicles move slowly.