PREDICTION OF PAVEMENT RUTTING IN EASTERN PROVINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA

H. I. Al-Abdul Wahhab and R. Ramadhan

The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 15, Number 3. July 1990

Abstract:

A huge investment of money has been placed in constructing a high-quality, well-finished highway network in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Roads are designed for lives of 15-20 years before any major maintenance is needed. However, the asphaltic concrete layers of these roads have been experiencing an early rutting distress, beginning a few months to two years after opening to traffic. Excessive rutting in highway pavement accelerates other forms of structural deterioration and creates safety hazards. This problem, because of its extent and importance, has attracted the attention and concern of highway authorities in Saudi Arabia. Many investigators have studied this problem and tried to come up with measures to minimize, correct, or prevent rutting.

In this work, a suitable model that can be generalized for rutting prediction using local pavement properties, traffic, and environmental conditions is sought. Two roads in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia were used for the study of pavement rutting prediction.