| Modular Pavements Application Areas and their specifications Audrius Vaitkus1; Judita Grazulyte2; 1ROAD RESEARCH INSTITUTE, VILNIUS GEDIMINAS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, Vilnius, Lithuania; 2, Vilnius, Lithuania; PAPER: 90/AdvancedMaterials/Regular (Oral) SCHEDULED: 16:20/Sat. 26 Oct. 2019/Leda (99/Mezz. F) ABSTRACT: Roads and other trafficked areas' infrastructure start to deteriorate as far as it is opened to traffic. Thus, it has to be timely repaired and reconstructed. Any interruption to traffic by implementing repair and rehabilitation works, however, leads to users' discomfort and traffic congestion. Modular pavements, also known as precast concrete pavements, can be constructed at night; consequently, they eliminate or reduce traffic flow issues related to repairs. They consist of prefabricated concrete slabs that are transported to the construction site only after the curing period, when the desirable concrete strength is achieved and installed on a prepared foundation. The prefabrication of slabs in a plant results in better concrete quality, controlled concrete curing conditions, and wider periods for pavement construction. It also reduces time before opening to traffic, and eliminates early-age failures and material segregation which may occur during concrete or asphalt mixture transportation to the project site and laying. Despite these advantages, modular pavements are barely used in Europe. In order to enhance the usage of modular pavements in Europe, this paper focuses on the identification of the most promising modular pavement application areas and their types of selection. The most promising application areas, such as motorways and arterial streets, were identified on the basis of the conducted survey among high-qualified researchers. Low volume roads, private roads, and bicycle and pedestrian paths could be included as special application areas to modular pavements using a slightly different approach. |
