ABSTRACT
Abstract Road pavements built on subgrades of expansive clay soils are effected by volume changes through seasonal wetting and drying cycles. These cracks propagate up through the entire roadbase and asphaltic concrete (A.C.) surfacing, resulting in surface cracks in the A.C. layer. This paper reviews current design and construction practice and discusses the various methods used, to prevent reflective cracking including the use of geogrids and geotextiles placed at subgrade level as well as the use of impermeable moisture barriers placed at the edge of pavement. Keywords: Reflective cracking, expansive clay subgrade, geogrid, geotextile, impermeable moisture barrier.
