ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to illustrate the benefits of steel reinforcement in asphalt pavements, related to the reduction of thickness overlay (economic advantage) and to the increasing of road bearing capacity (technical advantage). The study is based on fullscale test sections conducted on an asphalt road, reinforced in the interface of the bituminous layers by a range of steel mesh types. The paper describes the pavement structure design, construction methodology and plan instrumentation with strain gauges. The efficiency of the general bearing capacity increase of test sections by the use of steel reinforcement was demonstrated by deflection and strain measurements under Falling Weight Deflectometer tests. Linear elastic modelling of the test sections’ behaviour was used in order to validate the effect of reinforcement. The main conclusions of the paper deal with the advantages and disadvantages identified for this technique in experimental work. Practical recommendations are also made for design, construction, monitoring and modelling.
