Paved roads are the most common engineered surfaces created using materials like asphalt or concrete designed to provide better transportation facilities. Paved roads withstand heavy loads and reduce the wear and tear on vehicles leading to increased mobility.Today, approximately 94% roads utilize asphalt, a testament to its cost-effectiveness and adaptability to diverse climates and traffic conditions.
Paved roads can be categorized based on the materials used and the specific functions they serve. The three primary types of paved roads are:
Asphalt roads: Asphalt roads are human-made structures formed by mixing asphalt along with aggregates, one of the most widely used materials for road construction owing to its heavy performance capacity against load alone and it is very effective for harsh climate environments. This property makes them flexible and they can handle the temperature fluctuations, letting them avoid cracking, which helps with durability. The strength and cost-effectiveness of asphalt make it a popular choice for residential driveways, commercial parking lots, and high-traffic thoroughfares. Asphalt is one of the most inexpensive options, easy to repair, and providing a quieter ride than other paving techniques.
Concrete roads: Concrete roads are constructed using aggregate along with cement. Concrete roads are durable, safe and less prone to wear and tear defects like rutting, cracking, stripping loss of texture that can occur with flexible pavement surfaces. While concrete may involve higher initial investment costs, it offers remarkable longevity and is often used in highways and high-load scenarios.
Composite roads: Composite roads are constructed of multiple layers of both asphalt and concrete to enhance performance and durability. These types of roads are also known as asphalt- concrete overlay. Concrete layer provides structural capacity while an asphalt surface layer provides wearing surface course. Such roads are best suited for heavy traffic areas because they can manage both load and temperature fluctuations effectively.
Geosynthetics for reinforcement: Geosynthetics reinforce the aggregate base courses of flexible pavements to resist rutting and cracking to enhance the overall performance of the pavement. This not only improves structural performance, but also promotes sustainability through reduced material usage and environmental loading.
Pavement distress are the critical indicators of the longevity of roads and understanding these save costs and thereby, ensure safety.
Fatigue cracking
Block cracking
Edge cracking
Longitudinal cracking
Transverse cracking
Reflection cracking
Slippage cracking
Paved roads | Unpaved roads | Surface roads |
● Made from materials like asphalt or concrete. ● Hard smooth surface ● High durability ● Environmental friendly ● Improved traffic flow and safety. ● Leads to significant ecological degradation. ● Lower maintenance ● Minimizes dust production | ● Mixture of gravel placed and compacted on finer grained soils such as clay or silt. ● Low visibility ● Moderate durability ● Lower initial cost ● Higher maintenance needs. ● Reduced environmental footprint. ● More susceptible to damage from rain and snow. | ● Roads with gravel surface, chip seal or tarmac ● Includes both paved and unpaved roads. ● Less durability ● Require more pothole maintenance ● Does not contain any hard protective layering |
Modern construction techniques incorporate prefabricated rigid layers, which streamline installation and enhance structural longevity. This method allows for quicker construction and maintenance of pavements, minimising material consumption and carbon emissions.
Paved roads provide a durable and smooth surface that encompass a wide variety of vehicles and withstand high traffic volumes, making them essential for urban infrastructure. Concrete pavements also do not produce any environmental pollution. Paved asphalt roads prevent road accidents by lessening splash spraying on tires during the rainy season. They are also less prone to dips and rutting.
Despite many advantages, paved roads also have some disadvantages. The production of asphalt and concrete contributes to carbon emissions and energy consumption. Furthermore, the rigid structure of paved roads make them less adaptable to changes leading to cracking. Paved roads contribute to direct wildlife mortality through vehicle collisions and negatively impact water quality through increased runoff, which often carries pollutants from road surfaces into nearby waterways. Emissions from vehicles contribute to air pollution, which have detrimental effects on both human health and ecological systems.
The notable significance of reinforced paved roads lies in their ability to withstand heavy traffic and varying environmental conditions, thereby ensuring safer and more reliable travel. Use of geosynthetics reinforcements like geogrids and geotextiles reduce the asphalt layer and aggregate thickness required, increase the long term-performance, reduce maintenance costs along with reduced carbon emissions and carbon tax liabilities. Geosynthetic reinforcement also decreases the shear stresses transferred to the subgrade and provides vertical confinement outside the loaded area.
Reinforcements methods like steel reinforcement incorporate steel bars into concrete pavements to resist tensile stress. There are polymer reinforcements, asphalt reinforcements, and these reinforcements reduce the wear and tear from heavy traffic, provide better load distribution by preventing cracking and deformation. Also, help to manage the water flow, minimising erosion and promoting drainage.
In conclusion, the future of reinforced paved roads is poised for significant transformation driven by technological advancements and a growing emphasis on sustainability.
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Director, President – Glen Raven Technical Fabrics
Strata/Glen Raven tenure: 10 years/28 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
MBA – Wake Forest University
Directs the strategic direction of Glen Raven’s automotive, protective apparel, military, geogrid, outdoor and logistic businesses.
Director, General Manager, Strata Inc.
Strata/Strata Inc. tenure: 3 years/14 years
Total industry experience: 25 years
MBA – Georgia State University
Led the integration of Strata Inc. business operations into the headquarters of GRTF and transition from USA based to India based manufacturing.
Director
Strata tenure: 17 years
Total industry experience: 47 years
CA – ICA
Played a key role in the establishment of Strata’s India operations. Provides vision for product innovation and leveraging new technology trends.
Global Technical Sales Director
Strata tenure: 7 years
Total industry experience: 32 years
Civil & Geotechnical Engineer (First class)
Provides highly technical and innovative civil engineering solutions in India and around the world. Responsible for the design and execution of large-scale geotechnical projects around the world including Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.
CTO – Chief Technology Officer
Strata tenure: 9 years
Total industry experience: 48 years
BTech (Hons), MTech (Civil) Both IIT Bombay, DMS (Bombay University), FIE, FIGS, Chartered Engineer
Streamlines the designs of Geosynthetics and has brought innovation in geogrid and geocell design application.
COO – Projects and Sales
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 24 years
MBA – University of Gujarat
Leads the monetization of products and solutions while ensuring highest execution quality and project profitability.
COO – Technical Textiles
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 33 years
BE (Mechanical) – Nagpur University
Drives excellence in process design, product features and cost effectiveness in production.
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
Strata tenure: 8 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
CA – ICA, ICWA – ICWAI
Leads the finance, accounting, taxation, commercial, legal and IT functions and assisting on all strategic and operational matters.
CDO – Chief Development Officer
Strata tenure: 10 years
Total industry experience: 13 years
MBA – ISB, Hyderabad
Leads diversification of the product portfolio, monetizing the new products and ensuring successful sustained financial growth of the company top line.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
Strata tenure: 14 years
Total industry experience: 42 years
B Tech (Chemical) – IIT Delhi
Leads day-to-day business operations of the company with focus on capacity expansion, product and process improvement.
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