United States Department of Transportation
i
Evaluating Roadway Subsurface Drainage Practices
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2022-02-01
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[PDF-5.03 MB]
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Edition:Final Report December 2018 – February 2022
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Abstract:Pavement drainage is a critical component in ensuring the good performance of the roadway. However, a lack of proper drainage design and inadequate materials frequently lead to insufficient pavement drainage ability. It is essential to establish reliable drainage design criteria for pavement structure and material choices. The objectives of this project were to identify critical areas in Tennessee that are prone to poor drainage, assess the performance of different drainage designs for critical areas, evaluate the performance of roadway designs, considering rainfall, penetration through pavement joints and cracks, and lateral seepage from ditches, and develop nomographs relating rainfall, hydropedological properties, time to drain, and pavement integrity. Based on the results, saturated hydraulic conductivity was quantified for the major soil types in Tennessee. The fair and poor pavement sections are mainly located in West Tennessee, with only a few weak spots in East Tennessee, corresponding to the distribution of soil with low hydraulic conductivity. Soil drainability significantly affects pavement performance, which can counteract the effect of precipitation and water table. Through a simple drainage calculator and a detailed simulation with ABAQUS, it was found that the permeabilities of the subgrade soil and aggregate base both affect roadway drainage, but in most cases, the subgrade soil has a much more significant influence on the drainage rates. Pavement dimensions such as base layer thickness, pavement width, and base slope affect pavement drainage ability. A nomograph was developed to check the compatibility of base and subgrade materials and pavement structural characteristics on ensuing pavement drainability. A flow chart was proposed for the implementation of the pavement drainage assessment.
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