ABSTRACT
Selection of geosynthetics, for stabilization of unbound aggregate layers in pavements, involves the unconfined properties of geosynthetics and/or the large displacement confined properties. However, geogrids within a pavement system are neither unconfined nor undergo large displacements. This study proposes using the confined Soil-Geosynthetic composite stiffness (KSGC), obtained from Soil-Geosynthetic interaction (SGI) tests, to predict pavement performance when using geogrid-stabilized road bases. A series of identical one-third scale accelerated pavement tests (APTs) were performed on pavement test sections stabilized with various geogrids, diverse in terms of geometry and materials. The rutting from these sections was compared to that in the non-stabilized (control) section to evaluate the Traffic Benefit Ratio (TBR) at failure rut depth for each geogrid. The TBR obtained showed a strong linear correlation to the soil-geosynthetic composite stiffness (KSGC) of the corresponding geogrid obtained from the SGI tests. It is concluded that KSGC is a particularly good indicator of the performance of pavements with geosynthetic-stabilized road bases.
