Permeability and stiffness assessment of paved and unpaved roads with geocomposite drainage layers

Abstract

Poor subsurface drainage is frequently identified as a factor leading to the accelerated damage of roadway systems. Geocomposite drainage layers offer an alternative to traditional methods but have not been widely evaluated, especially in terms of the impact of changes on both drainage capacity and stiffness. In this study, both paved and unpaved test sections with and without an embedded geocomposite drainage layer were constructed and tested. The geocomposite layers were installed directly beneath the roadway surface layers to help the rapid drainage of any infiltrated water and thus prevent water entering the underlying foundation materials. The laboratory, field, and numerical analysis results showed that the geocomposite layers increased the permeability of roadway systems by two to three orders of magnitude and that it can effectively prevent the surface and foundation materials from becoming saturated during heavy rainfall events. For the stiffness of the sections, the paved sections with and without a geocomposite layer showed that the composite modulus values measured at the surface were more reflective of the foundation layer support conditions beneath the geocomposite layer than the geocomposite layer itself. The unpaved road section with the geocomposite layer yielded lower composite modulus values than the control section but showed overall better road surface conditions after a rain event due to the improved subsurface drainage condition.