Soil Properties And Pavement Performance In The Nigerian Rainforest: A Case Study Of Shagamu-Benin Road, South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

The geotechnical properties of the sub-structure of the Shagamu-Ore-Benin pavement were studied in an attempt to identifying the quality of construction materials and the pavement performance. The sub-structure soil materials were collected from the field and were taken to the laboratory for particle size analysis, Atterberg limit test, compaction test and strength test. The soils were classified using Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and American Association of State Highway Official (AASHO). The soils were mainly clayey sand (SC) and A-7-6. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) values range from 1.68 Mg/m³ to 2.30 Mg/m³ and 9.0% to 17.5% respectively. The widespread failed sections on the road are as a result of very fine grained silt/clay fraction (>30%), high water table, poor drainage and sub-standard construction materials. A well compacted sub-base and sub-grade crushed stone base course and good drainage would ensure good performance of the road.


Key words: Soil, pavement, failure, geotechnical, performance

Ife Journal of Science Vol. 7 (1) 2005: 119-122