Benefits of Using Geotextile Between Subgrade Soil and Base Course Aggregate in Low-Volume Roads in Virginia

摘要

Geosynthetics have increasingly been used since the 1960s in pavement structures to provide reinforcement; to serve as a permeable separator to prevent mixing of subgrade with subbase or base course materials; and to provide drainage. A reliable method of quantifying these benefits is needed to justify the more widespread use of these materials. The purpose of this study was to quantify the benefit of using a geotextile as a separator in low-volume roadways such as secondary and subdivision streets. A field trial was conducted on a section of Virginia Route 743 near the Charlottesville- Albemarle Airport in Albemarle County to achieve this objective. A geotextile was placed between the aggregate base and subgrade in one lane of the section to prevent failure attributable to intermixing, and the adjacent lane was left unmodified as a control. In addition to the field trial, a small-scale accelerated loading laboratory test was conducted to quantify the benefit of using geotextile as a separator for a range of pavement design variables, including variations in soil strength, traffic volume, and aggregate properties.