SEMI STRUCTURAL SURFACINGS

When the main load bearing layer in a road pavement is the asphaltic concrete
layer, the AC needs to be stiff and thick to spread load adequately and to ensure
that the stresses in the AC itself are below critical levels.
When the main load bearing layer is not the bituminous layer but a crushed stone
or cement or lime stabilised layer, any bituminous layer will normally be the top
surfacing to make the road waterproof. Such a layer could be a surface dressing
(chip seal) which is usually laid as a two layer system (DBST). A DBST is quite thin
and does not add to the load bearing capacity of the road. For a long life the layer
must be very flexible rather than stiff. This is exactly what a DBST provides. From
a theoretical point of view the stresses and strains in such a layer immediately
underneath the load wheel are entirely compressive but tensile strains occur
elsewhere (their magnitude controlled by the properties of the load bearing layers
below) hence the thin DBST surfacing needs to be flexible (relatively low elastic
modulus and plenty of bitumen) to minimise the associated critical stresses.
Many authorities do not like DBST because of surface texture and rolling noise,
hence a smoother AC type mix is preferred. Unfortunately AC itself is not suitable
for such a thin layer because it is not sufficiently flexible and is likely to crack quite
quickly. However, other bituminous mixes are more suitable, in particular, the gap
graded mix types known as hot rolled asphalts (HRA). These have been the subject
of successful research by TRL in UK and in tropical environments, by CSIR in RSA
and by ARRB in Australia and have been used successfully in thin layers in many
countries as in the charts in ORN31. These are what we call semi-structural
because they are a halfway house between AC and DBST. They add a little to the
load spreading ability of the pavement but not very much because we do not want
them to be so stiff that high tensile stresses develop in them. (Note that the same
mixes can be full structural layers if they are made thick enough and comprise the
main load bearing layer. They were used for this purpose in UK for many years)
However, in recent years HRA mixes have fallen out of favour in tropical countries.
The main reasons are (1) todays contractors are unfamiliar with it and have
difficulty producing a good product usually contractors produce something like an
AC, which is not suitable. (2) the increasing stresses at the surface of the road as
tyre pressures continue to increase as tyre design improves. We now consider it
too risky to advocate such a mix design and are withdrawing it from the next
edition of ORN 31.