TEMPERATURE IMPACT ON
PAVEMENT STRUCTURES IN HOT ARID ENVIRONMENT
ABSTRACT
Temperature
is one of the most important factors affecting the design and performance of
both flexible and rigid pavements. Temperature variations within pavement
structure contribute in many different ways to distress and possible failure of
that structure. Knowledge of temperature effects is essential for the
determination of the design and maintenance requirements especially in the
desert climates like most of Saudi environment.
This
paper presents the results of different research studies that were carried out
locally to explore the trends of temperature variation in both rigid and
flexible pavement slabs in the arid Saudi environment and their implications on
the design and material selection. Results indicated that temperature effects
on both flexible and rigid pavements can not be ignored in design and analysis
since high ranges were observed such as a maximum temperature differential of 15°
C in rigid pavements whereas, flexible pavements are subjected to temperatures
ranging between 3°C to 72°C. Maximum pavement temperature was recorded at a
depth of 2 cm.
KEYWORDS:
pavement, flexible, rigid, apron, curling stress, SHRP, ILLI-SLAB, temperature.