This describes about causes, effects, types of pavement failure. Failures in flexible pavements can be due to failure of its component layers which undergo distress due to various causes. Types of failures in flexible pavements and repair techniques are discussed.

1. Failure Of Pavement
Transportation Planning And Engineering
Yogesh Sharma Neupane
074BCE191
Pulchowk Campus
2021/05/21

2. Presentation Outline
• Causes
• Effects
• Types
• Preventive and Control Measures

3. Loading, intensity and repetition
The research studies shows ; roads and bridges were capable to transport 15-20 ton load only whereas 40-50
ton loaded vehicles were found to be running

4. Ojha.K.N.(2018),Overloading and Pavement Service Life—A Case Study on Narayanghat-Mugling Road, Nepal

5. Moisture is considerably and significantly affect the flexible pavement by
weakening the natural gravel materials especially the subgrade support
strength.
Moisture or water enter the flexible pavement structure through holes and
cracks in pavement surface, laterally (horizontally) through subgrade soil and
from the water table (underlying) by the action of capillary
The increased moisture content reduces the resilient modulus of granular materials, the frictional
strength between aggregate particles and the resistance to the accumulation of permanent deformation
(ARA Inc., 2004; Charlier et al., 2009; Ekblad, 2007; Lekarp, Isacsson, & Dawson, 2000a, 200

6. Failure to provide adequate compaction, inappropriate moisture content or conditions during the pavement construction,
materials quality, and providing accurate flexible pavement layers thickness (after the compaction is finished) all mentioned
conditions will effect directly on the performance of the flexible pavement.
Too weak sub-grade will fail to support and handle the vehicles wheel loads, which cause the pavement to flex extremely
which finally cause the failure of the flexible pavement.

7. Xueying Zhao, "Temperature Adaptability of Asphalt Pavement to High Temperatures and
Significant Temperature Differences," 2018.
Extreme temperature variations can causes severe
pavement damage due to expansion, contraction and (in the
case of rigid pavements) slab curling.

8. • The performance of flexible pavement depends upon the type of
maintenance, time of maintenance, maintenance performed.
• Provision of poor shoulders leads to edge failures.
• Geological and environmental factors

9. F. N. HVEEM, Types and Causes of Failure in Highway Pavements,1985
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/187/187-001.pdf

10. Effects
Road accidents Traffic Jams Unhealthy
environment
Effects on tourism,
makes people poorer.
Affects health,
machines
Delay travel time and
so on…

11. Types
• Cracking
1. Fatigue cracking (Alligator cracking):
• failure of the surface layer or base due to
repeated traffic loading (fatigue). final result is
potholes.
2.Longitudinal Cracking
run parallel to the center line of the roadway
• frost heaving or joint failures, or they may be
load induced

12. 3. Traverse Cracking
• right angles to the
centerline of the
roadway
• begin as hairline or
very narrow cracks
and widen with
age
4. Block cracking
5. Slippage cracking
6. Reflective cracking
7. Edge cracking

13. B. Surface deformation
1. Rutting
narrow rut is usually a surface failure, while a wide one
is indicative of a subgrade failure, Inadequate
compaction
2. Corrugation
The instability of the asphalt concrete surface
course may be caused by too much asphalt
cement, too much fine aggregate, or rounded
or smooth textured coarse aggregate.

14. • Swell: A swell is a localized upward bulge on the pavement surface.
Swells are caused by an expansion of the supporting layers beneath
the surface course or the subgrade.
• Depressions small, localized bowl-shaped areas that may include
cracking
C. Disintegration :The progressive breaking up of the pavement into small,
loose pieces
1. Potholes: bowl-shaped holes similar to
depressions
2. Patches: A patch is defined as a portion of
the pavement that has been removed and
replaced. Patches are usually used to repair
defects in a pavement or to cover a utility trench.
Patch failure can lead to a more widespread
failure of the surrounding pavement.

15. Surface defects
1. Ravelling 2. Bleeding 3. Polishing 4. Delamination
Ravelling: Loss of bond between aggregate particles and the asphalt binder as a result of: A dust coating on the
aggregate particles that forces the asphalt binder to bond with the dust rather than the aggregate
Bleeding or flushing is shiny, black surface film of asphalt on the road surface caused by upward movement of
asphalt in the pavement surface. Common causes of bleeding are too much asphalt in asphalt concrete, hot
weather, low space air void content and quality of asphalt.

16. • Polishing: Repeated traffic applications. Generally, as a pavement ages the protruding rough,
angular particles become polished. This can occur quicker if the aggregate is susceptible to
abrasion or subject to excessive studded tire wear.
• Delamination: Looks like potholes, but potholes are more serious. Causes when layers of road
worn away.

18. Measures
Increasing bearing capacity of soil: soil stabilization, compaction
Good workmanship
Construction of base/ sub base: Proper material specification, mixing,
spreading, compacting;; Quality Control
uniform and slow rate ; bitumen application
Use of new technology, use of premixes and admixtures etc…
Coated aggregate
Good drainage facilities
Timely maintenance and repairs
Geological considerations

20. References
Adlinge.S, Gupta.A.K., Pavement Deterioration and its Causes, iosrjournals.
Ankit Gupta (2004). Report on Case Studies on Failure of Bituminous Pavements Report Submitted to PWD, Aligarh.
Xueying Zhao, "Temperature Adaptability of Asphalt Pavement to High Temperatures and Significant Temperature
Differences," 2018
Ojha.M, Joshi, B.R.(2020), The Pavement Condition Assessment: Case Study at Pokhara, Nepal, International Journal of
Technical & Scientific Research Engineering.
Charlier, R., Hornych, P., Sršen, M., Hermansson, Å., Bjarnason, G., Erlingsson, S., & Pavšiˇc, P. (2009). Water influence on
bearing capacity and pavement performance: Field observations. In A. Dawson (Ed.), Water in road structures – Movement,
drainage & effects(pp. 175–192). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science+Business Media.
Bhagat, S.K.(2017). Situation of land transportation in Nepal.Kathmandu: TU
Wikipedia
pavementinteractive.org