Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
(OP)
What is the best way to go about designing a structural section for an asphalt pad in desert conditions for a staging area for equipment?
We have a good subbase as soils are sand. Design will need to conform to H20 loading. There will be some heavy process equipment located on the pad so we could have point loads on asphalt from equipment stands. Heavy tractor trailers will utilize the site. The site will only be in use for 6-7 months.
We have a good subbase as soils are sand. Design will need to conform to H20 loading. There will be some heavy process equipment located on the pad so we could have point loads on asphalt from equipment stands. Heavy tractor trailers will utilize the site. The site will only be in use for 6-7 months.





RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
I would start by asking how heavy is the equipment that will use this pad and their frequency. Also, corect if I'm wrong but it sounds like the point loads will be there for a while. You may find out that H20 wheel loads may be lower that the actual equipment making use of it. As an example, I had to design a steel cover for a concrete vault which was directly on a travel lane for a parking lot. The original design met H20 loads but the fire department came back requesting that we analyze a different loading scenario that more closely resembles their equipment. As you can imagine upgrades had to be made in order to meet both the H20 loads and the Fire Department Loads.
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
I guess you don't have to use soaked CBR values, though. . .
f-d
¡papá gordo ain't no madre flaca!
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
I would not use an emulsion at the surface...you can use it for stabilizing base and/or subgrade. Look at a penetration resistant grade of asphalt cement for the asphalt and a dense mix with a low asphalt content. If you use a mix that requires a lot of asphalt, it will likely exhibit "tenderness" including depressions from static point loads, shearing from power steering, and shoving from repetitive stop points. The larger the coarse aggregate in the mix, the lower the asphalt content will need to be.
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
https://transportation.wes.army.mil/pcase/
You can also use the AASHTO pavement design manual. The procedure is not difficult, but if you've never done it before, there are quite a few considerations and steps, so be careful. The AASHTO software is too expensive to use for one-time design.
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.
WWW.amlinereast.com
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
Why design for a graded aggregate base when you are miles away from any L/R quarry? Substitute the base with thicker asphalt i.e black base. You'll save money by simply adding 8 to 12 inches of Asphalt in lou of an aggregate base. To add,you said max load is only 6500lbs that seems very light for a tractor trailer. Design with 2 lifts. 1st lift black base. Let cure for approx. 28 days, tack and pave with a good friction course. Put some nice striping on it where ever you please. Done.
RE: Design for a structural section for asphalt pad in desert
As for the asphalt - penetration grade is okay - but I would suggest a 40-50 rather than a 60-70 or 80-100 which might be suggested - but definitely would not go with 80-100 (AASHTO uses 85-100 but you will find in Asia that they make 80-100). This should prevent a problem with flushing/bleeding. Else, you could modify the asphalt with crumb rubber or polymers. We had better luck with polymers in India.