Applications of observational techniques in pavement engineering

Abstract

Paper presented at the 26th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 9 - 12 July 2007 "The challenges of implementing policy?", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. ABSTRACT:Over the years the development of technology enabled an increase in the scope of potential observations that is spreading towards the larger and smaller realms of visibility. In this sense observations can be made on a scale from very large artefacts (such as the earth) to very small artefacts (such as nano-materials). Although the available observational techniques are used in all aspects of life, this paper focuses on those aspects where the applications are specifically dedicated to pavement engineering. The objective of the paper is to demonstrate how the available range of techniques can be applied to improve the understanding of, and the design, construction and maintenance of pavements. The paper starts with an introduction to the topic and some background information. This is followed by a discussion on the evaluation of material properties as an example for the rationale behind the work described in this paper. Next, a holistic view of a number of the observational techniques available to pavement engineers are provided, with a short discussion on each of these techniques. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations for further developments are made.