Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Performance Evaluation of Flexible Pavements Using Geogrid in Soil Subgrade
摘要
The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of geogrid on the performance of flexible pavements and quantify its cost-effectiveness. The scope of this work encompassed laboratory investigation, pavement design, and analysis of Life Cycle Cost Analysis. When the soil sample was reinforced with geogrid, strength improved by nearly 40% which was measured through the CBR test. Based on the CBR values of the soil subgrade, two pavement sections were designed as per IRC 37: 2018 for a design traffic of 50 MSA. For the section with geogrid reinforcement, the design thicknesses were lower the for majority of the layers when compared with the conventional pavement without geogrid reinforcement. More specifically, maximum reduction in thickness, around 20% was observed in Wet Mix Macadam layer. In addition, the initial cost of construction and maintenance were computed and life cycle cost analyses were performed using appropriate inflation and discount rate. Study findings indicated that the pavement designed with geogrid reinforcement in the subgrade was 5% cheaper as compared to the conventional pavement section. Overall, it was envisioned that the research framework developed in this study would provide important insights to toad agencies, practitioners, and other stakeholders to evaluate the impact of geogrid reinforcement in pavement construction.