Effect of Different Interlayers of Cement Concrete Pavements on Vibration and Anti-Erosion of Bases

This paper presents an experimental study in which laboratory tests were conducted to investigate how the different interlayers (between the pavement surface slabs and the bases) could improve the performances of vibration response and anti-erosion of the bases. In the tests for vibration response of the bases, geotextile and rubber sheet were used as the interlayers, and the micro-seismic testing system was employed to characterize the vibration response of bases of concrete pavements beneath different interlayers under impact loading. The vibration test results indicated that under the same impact loading, compared with the bases without an interlayer atop, vector sum of the maximum vibration velocity of the bases beneath a rubber sheet interlayer and two layers of geotextile interlayer decreased by 35 % and 80 %, respectively; and vector sum of their maximum vibration displacement decreased by 18 % and 26 %, respectively. In the laboratory tests for anti-erosion, the bases with geotextile or emulsified asphalt slurry seal as the interlayer atop were tested for performances of resisting water erosion via a self-made testing apparatus. The anti-erosion test results indicated that, under the same other conditions, compared with the bases without an interlayer atop, the erosion rate (after 12 min of testing) of the bases with geotextile or emulsified asphalt slurry seal as interlayers atop decreased by 99 % or 59 %, respectively. The interlayer has the effects of damping vibration and resisting water erosion on the pavement base.