Engineering Commons^™

Flexible Pavement Design Criterion, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Our recent report on "Rational Analysis of Kentucky Flexible Pavement Criterion," November 1968, presented theoretical treatments of current design curves – which enabled transformation of the current curves into companion sets of curves embodying alternative proportions of bituminous concrete and dense-graded aggregate base. We are privileged now to submit additional analytical information and to offer recommendations for revising the present design criterion.

Hot Mix Sand Surfacing, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Everyone has some compassion toward drivers who become victims of pavement slipperiness. The development of slipperiness on a road surface follows one of the laws of nature. Why not, then, employ other laws provided by nature to better advantage? For example, craftsmen use grinders, abrasives, buffers, etc. to achieve glossy surface finishes. Traffic does the same to our pavements. We might employ craftsmens' routine in reverse -- that is, roughen the surface. Better still, the principles that are apparent in a grinding wheel or whetstone may be used as a model for our pavement surface: a material of hard, abrasive …

Rational Analysis Of Kentucky Flexible Pavement Design Criterion, Herbert F. Southgate, Robert C. Deen, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Rational criteria for the structural design of pavements are emerging from classical theories equated to the observed behavior of real pavements. Pavement behavior is known to be affected by traffic, variations in soil support, and variations of component thicknesses. Considerable attention has been devoted to the mechanistic response of pavements to static and dynamic loads and to the development of theoretical design procedures, which rely, in part, on the computation of certain critical stresses, strains, and(or) deflections in the structure. A computer program (1) for the elastic analysis of multilayered pavement systems has enabled an extensive investigation of the effects …

Proposed Experimental Design And Construction Features, Kentucky Department Of Highways

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES: The experimental features proposed in connection with this project are three-fold: the first pertains to subsurface drainage of the pavement system, the second pertains to the feasibility of constructing full-depth, asphaltic concrete pavement sections directly on subgrade material -- rock or soil; the third pertains to the structural design and performance of pavement sections employing designated substitutions of bituminous concrete dense-graded aggregate base.

Landslides In Kentucky, Robert C. Deen, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The reoccurrence of certain features of landslides in Kentucky suggests that the difficulties in the State can be readily classified. Because of this repetitive nature, one can be alerted to the possibility of slides in certain situations early in the planning and design stages of the facility to be constructed. Thus, the traveling public might be spared the inconvenience illustrated in Figure 1. Enough cannot be said concerning the necessity for having adequate soils and geological information concerning possible routes for highway locations, and a review of a number of landslides in Kentucky suggests that there are certain troublesome geologic …

I-75 Kenton County Slide, Herbert F. Southgate

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Discussion On Skid Resistance Of Pavement Surfaces, Rolands L. Rizenbergs

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The concern for adequate skid resistance or friction of pavement surfaces is confined to wet weather conditions. Dry pavements are highly skid resistant unless the surface contains loose material, such as gravel, sand, etc., which could provide rolling action by the particles under the tires. Surface contaminates, such as oil, soft tars and asphalt, etc., could also provide lubrication to the surface and create a slippery condition. Normally, however, water is the lubricating agent reducing pavement friction and in some cases creating very hazardous driving conditions. Another situation of concern is drainage, or lack of proper drainage, of the pavement. …

Determination Of Traffic Parameters For The Prediction, Projection, And Computation Of Ewl’S, John A. Deacon, Robert L. Lynch

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

One of the first published methods for the structural design of highway pavements was called the Massachusetts Rule and was presented in the eighth annual report of the Massachusetts Highway Commission in 1901 (1). The essence of this procedure was a rather intuitive assumption concerning the distribution of vertical pressures beneath a loaded area. For design purposes, this required the selection of a design load which, since failure was assumed to be catastrophic and not cumulative, could be taken as the largest load that could reasonably be anticipated during the design life of the pavement. The prediction of such a …

Durability Of Culvert Pipe, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Almost twenty years ago the Department began to develop durability data on types of culvert materials. In the interim, various stopgap as well as very judicious policies have issued. The present criterion or design practice applicable to Federal Aid projects was affirmed by the Bureau of Public Roads, May 24, 1965. Extensive field surveys have been conducted; various design innovations have been employed; and a "hot" test site has, in a demonstrative way, provided critical life-expectancy records. All past history had been documented previously; however, a brief retrospective summary will provide some continuity between forethought and certain issues now maturing.

Equivalent Axleloads For Pavement Design, John A. Deacon, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Proper structural design of highway pavements requires an evaluation of the destructive effects of the anticipated vehicular loading. The concept of load equivalency provides a means for expressing these destructive effects in terms of a single measure, the equivalent axleloads (EAL's). The design EAL's represents the equivalent number of applications of a standard or base axleload anticipated during the design life.

Performance Of A Reinforced Concrete Pipe Culvert Under Rock Embankment, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A 48-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe installation has been observed in order to evaluate the performance of both types of bedding conditions as currently used by the Kentucky Department of Highways. A portion of the pipe was laid using Kentucky's Standard B Bedding. The remainder of the pipe culvert was laid using the B₁ Bedding (imperfect trench); the design height of the fill (36 feet) was sufficient to require the imperfect trench construction. The embankment was primarily of a rock fill material, with the largest particle size limited to a maximum of 3 feet. The portion of the pipe …

Experimental Applications Of Protective Coatings To Shales Exposed In Highway Cuts, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many shales exposed in roadway cut-sections are susceptible to weathering, slaking, and erosion; fallout and taluses clog drainage; benches overflow; and occasionally landslides or rockslides develop. Presently, in design, certain types of shales and even named formations are afforded wider benches than others; soil mantles at the tops of cuts are being stripped back farther; and, of course, sound ledge-rock offers the preferred type of bench-cap. Pre-splitting methods of blasting have greatly enhanced the appearance of cuts and have minimized the shattering of cut faces. The resulting surfaces frequently are quite smooth when first exposed and remain so if the …

A Concrete Pavement Without Transverse Joints [July 1968], Ronald D. Hughes

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In 1949, a 5.737-mile section of portland cement concrete pavement was constructed without the inclusion of transverse joints. The project, designated as Fl 239(4), is a section of US 31W located in Simpson County extending from the Tennessee line (Sta 9+11) to the south city limits of Franklin (Sta 311+40). The pavement is 22 feet wide, 8 inches thick, and is underlain by 1-1/2 inches of compacted No. 10 crushed limestone for insulation and leveling. Air-entraining cement was used and the concrete was placed with approximately 4-1/2 percent entrained air. One-half inch deformed tie bars were used in the longitudinal …

Bridge Paint Specifications, Proposed Revisions, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

During the past several years, I have devoted considerable attention and study to bridge-paint systems and specification -- in an attempt to keep abreast with developments and current practices throughout the country. My first proposal (July 30, 1958; copy appended) was motivated by development of a then-new rust-inhibitive pigment suggested by National Lead Company. The pigment had shown considerable promise as a substitute for red lead and appeared in many respects to be superior to red lead -- on of which was economy.

Temperature Distribution Within Aspalt Pavements And Its Relationship To Pavement Deflection, Herbert F. Southgate, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Use Of Preformed, Compressed Neoprene Seals In Joints Of Concrete Bridge Decks, Dennis L. Willaman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Progressive deterioration and staining of concrete bridge substructures and erosion of abutments may, in many instances, be attributed to the leakage of bridge deck joints. The primary difficulty in maintaining a properly sealed joint is the continual expansion and contraction of the bridge spans. Joint seals, of course, must remain in contact with both faces of the disjointed sections and remain flexible at all temperatures encountered.

A study was initiated by the Division of Research for the specific purpose of evaluating the performance of preformed, compressed neoprene seals and to compare the performance of these seals with the performance of …

Construction And Performance Of Trial Section Of Treated Shoulders On The Mountain Parkway Extension, Robert L. Florence, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In October 1966, J.W. Spurrier, Assistant Operations Management Engineer, requested that the Research Division make a study of a two-mile section of the shoulders on the Mountain Parkway Extension in Wolfe County (from Mile Post 43.8 to Mile Post 45.8) and make recommendations for design and construction procedures for cement stabilization of the shoulders. In compliance with this request, in January 1967, Research Division personnel made a survey of the full length of shoulder on the Mountain Parkway Extension. Included in this survey were measurements of depth of the dense graded aggregate, penetrations of the shoulder subgrade soil and samples …

Hot-Mix Coal-Tar Concrete Pavement And Multiple, Coal-Tar Seals On Shoulders, Robert L. Florence

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

It is proposed to construct an experimental section of roadway, 6.6 miles in length, using coal-tar concrete for base and surface, and to use multiple, coal-tar seals (3 seals) with coverstone on the shoulders. A section of pavement, 5.1 miles in length, incorporating the same structural thicknesses and types of courses but containing normal asphaltic binders, to be constructed on the same route will be designated for comparison and control purposes. The use of the coal-tar will be in compliance with Section 201(e) of the Appalachian Regional Development Acts of 1965.

The Crab Orchard And Osgood Formations: The Case For Slope Instability, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

For the past few years, the Division of Research, as a part of its continuing study of the occurrence of landslides in Kentucky, has reviewed and studied several sites in order to identify and delineate the geologic and soil formations which might be involved in the unstable earth masses. After a study of a number of landslides, it became evident that one particular material was highly susceptible to the development of landslides. This material, in Eastern Kentucky, is known as the Crab Orchard Formation and was deposited during the middle Silurian age. The Crab Orchard Formation, a deposit some 50 …

An Evaluation Of Temperature Distribution Within Asphalt Pavements And Its Relationship To Pavement Deflection, Herbert F. Southgate

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The attached report presents significant progress and achievements in the area of asphalt pavement design. Benkelman beam deflections were used extensively in conjunction with our 1958 study of asphalt pavement performance; apparent relationships between 18–kip deflections and pavement structures were evident then although scatter in the data was thought to be necessarily admissible. During the spring and summer of 1966, another extensive series of pavements, built since 1958, were evaluated from the standpoint of performance and deflection. It seemed compelling at that time to adjust all deflections to some common reference temperature and so the surface temperature of the pavement …

Analysis Of Traffic Loads On Bridges, Robert L. Lynch

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report contains information concerning:

1. The statistical determination of frequencies of critical axle loadings on highway bridges and
2. The adaptability and adaptability of historical loadometer and classification data in Kentucky to the recently adopted AASHO design criteria for evaluating the fatigue history of existing bridges.

The analysis of the fatigue history of a bridge consists of evaluating the distribution of instantaneous axle loadings over the applicable period. Because of the urgency, only historical records currently available were used as source data. This report is therefore divided into two sections: 1) a summary of quantitative results based on available data, and …

Construction And Interim Performance Report Of Experimental Salt (Nacl) Stabilization Of Plant-Mixed, Dense Graded Aggregate, Robert L. Florence

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

For some time the Department has been interested in building-up and retaining thicknesses of granular base course on rural roads through the use of various stabilizing additives and(or) the use of light asphalt seals or surfacings (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). These efforts more or less recognize that the "stage construction" concept is frustrated by weather and traffic erosion of unbound and exposed granular base material. Thus, the motive in experimenting with and in utilizing these treatments is to find economical and effective means by which a granular base can be built and retained until such time that a …

Application Of Stanford Watershed Model Concepts To Predict Flood Peaks For Small Drainage Areas, K. D. Clarke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report embodies two principal objectives: 1) updating rainfall intensity-duration curves for the hydraulic design of culverts and 2) adaptation of the Stanford Watershed Model concept to small drainage basins in Kentucky. The first objective is familiar -- the curves presently being used for the rational method of design were established from an earlier Department study made by E. M. West and W. H. Sammons, issued in July, 1955 (Report No. 2, "A Study of Runoff from Small Drainage Areas and the Openings in Attendant Drainage Structures"), and were based on rainfall records then available through 1951. The second objective …