Effect of Temperature Variation on Asphaltic Pavement

Abstract

There is a growing tendency in almost all the developing countries to adopt expensive pavement design and better construction specifications in spite of serious financial constraints. Asphaltic concrete wearing courses are becoming popular in place of surface dressing primarily to provide a better riding quality. Temperature seriously affects the performance of pavements. At high temperatures, bitumen becomes softer and mix properties such as stiffness, resilient modulus drop significantly. Over loaded commercial vehicles which move at slower speed and carrying heavy loads have created serious problems of rutting and deformation in almost all tropical and sub-tropical countries. In our country ,Pakistan, there is a variation in temperature throughout the year. The asphalt pavements laid are subjected to drastic change in temperature. There should be proper procedure for the measurement of temperature in various stages. Proper thermometers should be used to take the readings. After laying the asphalt on site and compacting temperature of the contact point of the asphaltic wearing coarse and asphaltic base coarse be taken. The top surface of the asphalt cools at a faster rate then the contact surface. The asphalt should be open to the traffic when the temperature of contact point reaches the ambient temperature.