Testing of lateritic materials for road pavements

Abstract

Laterites or lateritic soils are widespread in many countries internationally, including South Africa. These are often the only materials available within a reasonable haulage distance for road construction, but when tested in typical road material laboratories, they fall outside the limits of standard specifications for certain road layers and are rejected for use. However, experience has proved that many of these lateritic materials can be successfully used in low-volume (and even relatively high-volume) roads. Investigations have shown that the material properties determined using conventional test methods produce inaccurate results, often leading to the rejection of the materials. This paper reviews and discusses some of the unique properties of laterites and their influence on laboratory testing using conventional test methods. The use of the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer to assess the shear strength of laterites is proposed to eliminate many of these problems.