ABSTRACT
A pavement is an engineered structure that provides a smooth, safe and stable platform for the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. A pavement is needed since in most cases the existing soil layer is not capable of supporting the loads of commonly used vehicles. Without the pavement the soil layer would deform excessively and hinder the movement of vehicular traffic with a desirable speed and safety. Generally, a pavement consists of a number of layers, each of which serves a specific function. The structural design of pavements is generally carried out on the basis of either empirical or Mechanistic-Empirical methods. The primary basis of this design is the consideration of the relevant material or layer properties. Load and climate-related factors – precipitation and temperature, and the effect of temperature on water in the pavement, are the principal causes of deterioration of pavements over time.
