Effect of frost heave on long-term roughness deterioration of flexible pavement structures

ABSTRACT

In northern regions, the frost heave of the subgrade soils due to formation of ice lens is the main mechanism involved in the high degradation rate of the flexible pavement. This paper presents developments of flexible pavement damage models, developed through a multiple linear regression analysis, associated long-term roughness performance to frost heave and degradation mechanisms. Actually, there is no deterioration model that establishes a link between frost heave and flexible pavement. At a design stage, those models would be essential to evaluate the benefits or consequences to have a frost heave lower, equal or higher than the allowable threshold values established by the MTMDET according to the roads functional classification. The result presented illustrate that a significant increase in long-term IRI deterioration rate, usually caused by a more variable subgrade soil, is likely to contribute to the rehabilitation of the pavements up to four years before the end of the pavement service life. This project will allow the administration and the builders to adapt the construction of road infrastructures in cold regions in order to achieve the objectives established to maintain the safety of the users.

KEYWORDS:

• Frost heave
• flexible pavement
• degradation
• service life
• international roughness index

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTMDET) for their technical contribution to the completion of this research project, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for its financial support to the i3C Research Chair, and all partners associated to the success of the i3C Research Chair. This research was also partly funded through the Norwegian Research Council (NRC).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) [grant number IRCPJ 381492-14]; Norwegian Research Council (NRC) [grant number 246826/070].