Title: Preliminary Field Performance of Geotextile Separator in Secondary Road in Virginia
Abstract: A field study is currently in progress in Albemarle County, Virginia, to assess the benefit of a geotextile separator in a secondary road. A test section was located that was susceptible to intermixing of a low-strength subgrade with the structural base aggregate. One lane had a geotextile placed between the aggregate and subgrade to prevent this failure, while the adjacent lane was left unmodified as a control. The site was tested with a dynamic cone penetrometer and falling weight deflectometer. The subgrade strengths of each lane were found to be statistically equal by the penetrometer before and after construction of the aggregate base course. During construction, the falling weight deflectometer showed the geotextile lane to have a greater effective structural number than that of the control lane, while the apparent subgrade resilient moduli of the two lanes were equivalent. After 8 months of service, the geotextile lane continued to have a greater effective structural number. Statistical comparisons of each lane indicated a demonstrable benefit of the geotextile. As severe intermixing and base failure in the control lane was not considered likely, the benefit may to be due to a reinforcing effect. As the section is loaded, especially when the subgrade is softened due to environmental conditions, the amount of benefit is expected to increase. This ongoing project will provide the Virginia Department of Transportation with field experience and data to quantify the benefit of the use of geotextiles in secondary routes.
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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