Mechanical analysis of an unpaved road by dynamic bearing capacity test

The type and mechanical characteristics of soils dictate the performance of unpaved roads. Unpaved roads are more influenced by the traffic and natural environment than the paved ones: since earth is a more heterogeneous and fragile surface than bituminous and concrete surfaces from paved roads. As a result, the road users often witness the unpleasant presence of distresses over the way. Thus it is essential to follow up the characteristics of the soils that most affect the performance of unpaved roads, like compaction and bearing capacity parameters which usually are obtained from geotechnical characterization and bearing capacity tests. Therefore, dynamic in situ tests are becoming very useful because they allow quick evaluation of the soil subgrade over undisturbed samples and request fewer resources (human and equipment) than conventional in situ tests. This paper presents the application results and analysis of Light Falling Weight Deflectometer (LFWD) and dynamic Californian Bearing Ratio (CBR) from different seasons of the year over an unpaved road in Bragança, Portugal. The road is considered a relevant object of study as it connects the two main dams responsible for providing water to the region. The bearing capacity parameters were evaluated in a retrospective analysis and correlations between these parameters were observed in each one of the test seasons.

Mechanical analysis of an unpaved road by dynamic bearing capacity test Conference Paper