When to use flexible or rigid pavement?
Flexible pavement is so named for its main characteristic: it’s flexible. Flexible pavement consists of layers—a subbase, base, and a thinner layer made up of a mixture of bitumen and aggregates, making it an asphalt pavement. The different layers affect the pavement’s structural capacity, and the flexible nature of the asphalt means that flexible pavement will deform due to the pressure of the loads put upon it.
However, asphalt’s flexibility also means that it can be easily repaired and replaced. Asphalt is prized as a pavement surface for roads, parking lots, and walkways because only the upper layer—the asphalt made of bitumen and aggregates—needs to be replaced to make the pavement like new.
Flexible pavement is suitable for roads, parking lots, and walkways that don’t experience heavy loads too often.
Similarly, rigid pavement is named after its main characteristic as well: it has high flexural rigidity. It’s generally made of a subbase, a base, and an upper layer of cement concrete or reinforced concrete slabs. Rigid pavement can withstand much heavier loads than flexible pavement.
Rigid pavement is suitable for roadways and pavement areas that experience heavy loads frequently, such as airport runways.
Peoplesmind
