Innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements: Fid-Bau Portal

Innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements

Rasmussen, Robert / Garber, Sabrina

In May 2006, representatives from FHWA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) embarked on a tour to study European design and construction methods for long-life pavements. In Germany the representatives were introduced to a method for using nonwoven geotextiles as an interlayer between cementitious layers. This practice was identified as a having potential for application in the United States. As a result, FHWA sponsored a research project to further investigate the German methodology and to develop initial U.S. materials and construction standards for similar applications in concrete pavements. The research published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 'Nonwoven Geotextile Interlayers for Separating Cementitious Pavement Layers: German Practice and U.S. Field Trials' focuses on innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements as a viable alternative to a hot-mix asphalt (HMA) interlayer. These properties include separation, drainage, and reduced bearing stresses. U.S. field trials in Missouri and Oklahoma identified the following benefits: lower costs for material and installation when compared to conventional HMA interlayers; equivalent performance, at least for separation of cementitious bases and new concrete pavements; rapid installation. The German experience offers more than 25 years of working with this process and has demonstrated that it offers improvements if done properly.