ABSTRACT
In today’s economic climate the construction cost of cargo handling facilities in harbour areas plays an important role. Pavement construction costs form a large part of any new facility and the major cost in maintenance and rehabilitation of existing facilities. A wide range of construction materials and methods are available in the design as well as in the construction phase. These all have a different level of investment cost. In addition, the levels of serviceability and maintenance and the corresponding costs differ substantially as well. A total life cycle cost analysis study seems in order. Regrettably many terminal operators consider the selection of pavement independently from the magnitude of handling equipment and loads or make decisions based on experience only. Total investment is often higher then needed mostly due to a life time much shorter than expected. This paper reports the results of a study performed to optimise the selection of pavement structures for a container area in the Zeebrugge harbour (Belgium). Different subgrade conditions, construction materials and methods are compared taking into account the heavy static and dynamic loads as given by the operator. In addition different design methods are considered. A comparison study analysing the different parameters provides guidelines for this type of heavy duty pavement. If the Zeebrugge conditions are generalised for this activity the results can be considered general. Furthermore the study focuses on the sensitivity for container frequency, design life, subgrade and foundation characteristics and life cycle costs. Finally an efficient design rule for field engineers is provided.
