Pavement Engineering may be defined as "the branch of Civil Engineering that deals with planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of a man-made surface on natural ground for efficient, safe and timely movement of people and goods."
The word "Pavement" refers to any surface prepared for any kind of movement i.e. of people, animals and goods. Any of the following surface may be called as Pavement:
- a footpath on side of a road.
- a compacted dirt track in a village.
- a horse racing track.
- a path in your garden.
- a prepared ice surface for skiing.
But in engineering, the most important pavements are those which carry high volumes of heavy traffic such as roads (motorways, freeways, expressways etc.), airport runways, parking lots etc.
Since the pavements are special engineered structures and in developing countries the roads construction will continue to be a major industry. In developed countries the infrastructure has been matured and there are challenges for its sustainability.
Like other engineered structure, pavements are designed to adequately withstand heavy loads during their design life. They are expected to provide a smooth riding quality for the traffic throughout its service life and to ensure this, pavements must be designed, constructed, operated and maintained properly.
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| A Highway in Mountainous Terrain |
Importance of Pavement Engineering
Pavements play a vital role in our daily life. We use them as roads, runways, parking lots, driveways etc. Road transportation is the most widely used mode of transportation around the world and the development of a country is determined based on the total length of paved road network in that country.Since the pavements are special engineered structures and in developing countries the roads construction will continue to be a major industry. In developed countries the infrastructure has been matured and there are challenges for its sustainability.
Like other engineered structure, pavements are designed to adequately withstand heavy loads during their design life. They are expected to provide a smooth riding quality for the traffic throughout its service life and to ensure this, pavements must be designed, constructed, operated and maintained properly.
