Principal Investigator(s):
Joseph Labuz, Professor, Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering
Project summary:
The ultimate goal of the proposed work is to provide engineers and contractors with a practical design method for estimating the thickness of an unpaved gravel road reinforced and separated by a geotextile. The local road system in Minnesota does not recognize that fabric used in the roadway to maintain separation adds to the overall strength of the road. However, some design procedures indicate that an appropriate fabric can provide over 75 mm (3 in.) of granular equivalence. If this is accurate, a significant savings in natural resources and improvement to the roadway quality could be realized. Furthermore, the issue of separation requires some study to evaluate its effectiveness.