Study: "Effect of Geosynthetics on Structural Pavement Design"

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) anticipates approving $600,000 for a 2011 study titled “Effect of Geosynthetics on Structural Pavement Design.” The project has been tentatively selected and a project statement (request for proposals) is expected in August 2010. The objective of this research is to develop a design methodology and guidelines on when, where, and how to use geosynthetic materials within a pavement structure. The guidelines will target design engineers and practitioners in the pavements and materials engineering community, with a focus on the most basic engineering properties of geosynthetics as they relate to structural pavement design. It is anticipated that the design principles contained in the guidelines could be readily incorporated into the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG).