Variable rate bitumen spraying in road construction and resurfacing

Shann, Blaise N. (2008) Variable rate bitumen spraying in road construction and resurfacing. [USQ Project]

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Abstract

[Abstract]: Over the last decade, traffic volumes, tyre pressures, wheel loads and the percentage of heavy vehicles using the Australian road network has increased significantly. This has led to increased challenges for road designers to provide economical and durable pavement surfaces with adequate surface texture.

A particular solution for improving surface texture on spray sealed surfaces is transverse variable spray rates (TVSR). In this technique bitumen spray-rates are varied across the lane width to account for the impact of traffic in the wheel-paths. This leads to designs where higher binder application rates are used on the shoulders and between the wheel-paths and lower rates in the wheel-paths.

An extensive literature review has revealed very little quantitative data has been analysed to verify the technique is beneficial in providing roads with improved and more uniform surface texture. Undesirable surface texture issues generally consist of flushing or bleeding of bitumen in the wheel-paths, and stripping of aggregate between the wheel-paths and on the shoulders.

The Queensland Department of Main Roads collects annual survey data of their road network, including surface macro-texture data. This project aims to retrieve and compare survey data over a number of years, and collate it with other relevant data to verify if TVSR technology has provided an improvement in surface texture characteristics.

Carefully selected road sections were studied to identify the effect of the TVSR technology when compared with similar areas sprayed with uniform single spray-rates. The study concluded that transverse variable spray rates were successful in increasing the transverse surface macro-texture uniformity of the analysed sections, and when used in conjunction with polymer modified binders, the surface macro-texture depth in the wheel-paths was increased also. Due to the limited scope of the study, further analysis would be required to verify the results across a wider area.


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Item Type: USQ Project
Refereed: No
Item Status: Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: Historic - Faculty of Engineering and Surveying - Department of Agricultural, Civil and Environmental Engineering (Up to 30 Jun 2013)
Date Deposited: 02 Apr 2009 07:30
Last Modified: 02 Jul 2013 23:16
Uncontrolled Keywords: road construction; road resurfacing; transverse variable spray rates; bitumen; spraying
Fields of Research (2008): 09 Engineering > 0905 Civil Engineering > 090507 Transport Engineering
Fields of Research (2020): 40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400512 Transport engineering
URI: https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/5108

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