THE RESISTANCE TO FATIGUE OF DRY ASPHALT RUBBER CONCRETE FOR SUB-BALLAST LAYER

2015

The more and more frequent use of recycled materials within the road and railway infrastructures is now an irreversible trend. In this area the use of Dry Asphalt Rubber Concrete (DARC) in sub-ballast layer seems to be a suitable technique to reach high mechanical and environmental performance even if such material should be analyzed over a long time horizon. This paper presents the results of experimental research focused on the resistance to fatigue of Dry Asphalt Rubber Concrete in sub-ballast layers; the survey has been carried out using four-point bending test (4pbt) on mixture samples with different rubber contents. The results of fatigue in DARC have been compared with the performanc…

A Dynamic Model of Ballasted Rail Track with Bituminous Sub-Ballast Layer

2012

AbstractThe bituminous sub-ballast layer within the ballasted rail track allows some mechanical and environmental advantages. An analytical model of a ballasted rail track with sub-ballast layer has been proposed by considering the rail as viscous-elastic continuous beam discretely supported, at four levels of elasticity.The model was used to compare the mechanical performance of both ballasted track with and without bituminous sub-ballast layer. The results confirmed that the bituminous sub-ballast layer reduces the dynamic forces on the ground and achieves the technical objectives as reduction of ground borne vibrations and increase of the design life of the rail track.

An advanced pavement management system based on a genetic algorithm for a motorway network

2013

Maintenance and improvement, through the rehabilitation, of the road infrastructure is a strategic and priority objective for road agencies, nevertheless the economic resources required are often inadequate. Within road management, the pavement management system (PMS) plays an essential role because of both the money needed and the performance that should be provided in terms of safety, ride quality and transport cost. The PMS is based on searching for a balanced solution between the lowest cost and the increased level of performance (i.e. pavement condition). In this paper a PMS multi-objective optimization method, was proposed, using a genetic algorithm (GA) to identify the best solution …

Issues and Perspectives in the Application of Different Pavement Design Methods to Life Cycle Cost Analysis

2016

Life cycle costs analysis (LCCA) is an economic evaluation tool that can provide valuable guidance to transportation officials in management decision process. The application of LCCA to pavement management is vital because it permits the selection of the best alternative, based on the analysis of agency costs and user costs, taking into account (after selecting pavement type) different maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) strategies within the same pavement type. Additionally, environmental costs can be considered. Issues arise when comparing the expected life of the pavement derived according to different pavement design tools, such as the Mechanistic-Empirical pavement Design Guide (M…

A multidisciplinary approach using LCCA and micro-simulation 10 model for the management of the urban pavements

2013

The maintenance and the rehabilitation of the urban road pavements are not often based on systematic program and scheduling but rather on emergency or on other not identified reasons. Moreover the Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), the only peculiar procedure for the management pavement, finds its own application for highway and motorway, even if it is possible to search the best investment for the urban interstate and arterials. By the light of the quantity of the involved resources, it seems necessary to define an operative methodology for programming the maintenance and rehabilitation activities for the urban pavement. The paper is oriented towards the development of a multidisciplinary ap…

AN INTEGRATED MODEL TO EVALUATE TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF ROAD PAVEMENT

The unconditional exploitation of environmental resources, the emission of xenobiotic substances in nature and resulting pollution from the development of human activities have led, over time, to serious repercussions on the environment. Therefore these effects weigh on economic and social development. The need to deal with environmental issues and their relationship with economic development has led to the definition of sustainable development concept . The concept of sustainability combines three fundamental aspects which can not be separated, namely environmental, economic and social. The increasing sensitivity towards these socio-economic issues has driven research towards new fronts, u…

THE DIAGNOSIS OF ROAD SURFACE DISTRESSES THROUGH IMAGE-BASED MODELING TECHNIQUES. EXPERIMENTAL SURVEY ON LABORATORY-RUTTED SAMPLES

2015

In the past few years, there has been a drastic increase in the use of image-based modeling (IBM) techniques to create high quality, reality-based 3D models. The low costs of these techniques, as well as their attractive visual quality, have led many researchers and professionals to invest their energy and resources in several tests. IBM is rarely used in the field of road surface distresses as diagnosis is usually performed using other techniques and devices. Road safety statistics reveal that about a half of the total number of accidents occur mainly due to the deterioration of the pavement. The goal of effective road network management is often incompatible with economic resources design…

Pavement Management System model using a LCCA- microsimulation integrated approach

2014

The maintenance and the rehabilitation of the urban road pavements are not often based on systematic program and scheduling but rather on emergency or on other not identified reasons. Moreover the Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), the only peculiar procedure for the management pavement, finds its own application for highway and motorway, even if it is possible to search the best investment for the urban interstate and arterials. By the light of the quantity of the involved resources, it seems necessary to define an operative methodology for programming the maintenance and rehabilitation activities for the urban pavement. The paper is oriented towards the development of a multidisciplinary ap…

Image Based Modeling Technique for Pavement Distress surveys: a Specific Application to Rutting

2016

Image-based modeling (IBM) is a well-known technique to obtain high quality 3D models based on multi view images. IBM started being used in several applications such as inspection, identification of objects and visualization, due to the user-friendly approach, the low cost and highly automated technique. This paper focuses on the investigation of the potential application of IBM in the diagnosis of road pavement distresses and in particular rutting. Indeed, the evaluation of the rutting distress is a fundamental step to define the whole state of a pavement as demonstrated by the calculation of Present Serviceability Index (PSI). Currently, the permanent deformation is measured monitoring vi…