Pavement design and construction

Much of the work undertaken in this domain aims to optimise the design, construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure using innovative, cost-effective, socially-acceptable and sustainable solutions, focussing primarily on roads. Its current competences are in the areas of materials, including traditional, waste and novel materials; engineering design, analysis and modelling; vehicle-pavement and infrastructure-environment interaction; geotechnical engineering and forensic studies.

Road infrastructure in Africa includes many kilometres of unpaved roads. To this end, the CSIR is a key role-player in the Africa Community Access Partnership programme of research and knowledge dissemination. The programme is funded by the UK government through the Department for International Development. It aims to find solutions for cost-effective and durable rural road infrastructure and thereby promoting safe and sustainable rural access in Africa. 

More information for download: POTHOLES: Technical guide to their causes, identification and repair [PDF]

Contact person: Dr Martin Mgangira: Research group leader; Email: mmgangira@csir.co.za; Tel: 012 841 4499
 

Accelerated pavement testing

The objectives of accelerated pavement testing at the CSIR is to reduce the construction and life-cycle cost of road infrastructure, mitigate early failure and optimise road pavement design and maintenance interventions.

The CSIR-developed heavy vehicle simulator (HVS) laboratory subjects road and airfield pavements to accelerated trafficking to evaluate the structural behaviour and capacity of pavements under full-scale conditions. The HVS simulates 20 years of traffic on a road in as little as three to six months. The quick results about traffic damage, failure mechanisms and environmental factors on pavement behaviour and performance assist engineers to understand traffic-associated road failures. The technical impact of HVS technology developments is in optimising materials and pavement designs to reduce construction costs and create reliable design and maintenance practices to reduce costly early failures.

The outcomes are more cost-effective material and pavement designs that optimise maintenance interventions and reduce road life-cycle costs.

Competences in this domain include real-field characterisation of material behaviour (as opposed to laboratory models), structural capacity determination of existing road structures, comparative testing of road pavement structure types and assessment of innovative materials and designs under true loading, environmental and field conditions.

Contact person: Chris Rust: Research group leader; Email: crust@csir.co.za; Tel: 012 841 2927
Georges Mturi: Manager, Advanced Materials Testing; Email: gmturi@csir.co.za; Tel: 012 841 2234

The South African Road Pavements Forum (RPF)

The road pavement forum (RPF), a forum for sharing and debating road-related matters relevant to the South African roads industry, was established in August 2000.

RPF objectives include:

• Providing a perspective of overarching strategic issues as it affects pavement engineering.
• Promoting best practice;
• Co-ordination and linkage with other groupings;
• Establishment of task groups with specific national objectives;
• Provision of sufficient time for participation/discussion/advice and for social interactions;
• Dissemination of new technologies;
• Provision of a forum for acceptance of technological changes; and
• Provision of a forum for interaction between theory and practice and for identification of technology development needs.
   

The RPF makes provision for wider representation and participation from the broader roads industry, particularly urban and provincial authorities, tertiary institutions and contractors. It also allows for broader regional representation. South Africa can play an important facilitating role as a catalyst for technology transfer in the southern African region, and the RPF could become a vital part in this process.