INVERTED PAVEMENTS: AN OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION
Transportation agencies and the road building industry have traditionally designed and
constructed two pavement types, flexible and rigid. The selection of pavement is often
based on a pavement type selection (PTS) process to decide the best pavement
alternative for a particular project. This process helps pavement engineers to determine
the most cost-effective pavement type capable of supporting anticipated traffic under
existing environmental conditions and providing safety and driving comfort. Depleting
natural resources and large lead distance for transporting good quality aggregates to
the site, pose a problem for large-scale highway construction projects. Local aggregates
may not always conform to the specification requirements. Thus, locally available weak/
marginal aggregates can not be directly used for road construction purpose. However,
there is a possibility that these marginal aggregates, in cemented form, may find its use
as base/ sub-base layer of bituminous pavement. Suitably designed cemented base/
sub-base layer, may result in certain economy to the pavement design. Considering
increasing scarcity of naturally available material, there is a strong need to encourage
such technology. Since these bituminous pavements contain cemented layer as base/
sub-base layer, these pavements can also be considered as one variety of composite
pavements.

The following can be identified as the various advantages of such pavements:

 The stress/ strain at the bottom of the bituminous layer decreases because of
high stiffness value of the cemented layer (compared to unbound granular layer
base/sub-base). Thus, the fatigue life of the pavement is more compared to
conventional bituminous pavements. Further, the cemented layer, being bound
material, additionally provides some fatigue life.
  Permanent deformation (rutting) is reduced. This is because of reduction of
vertical strain due to relatively higher stiffness of the cemented layer. High
vertical strains are generally linked with increased possibility of rutting.
 The deflection of the pavement is reduced because of the presence of higher
stiffness of cemented layer.
 The material cost of such pavement may be lower than the conventional
bituminous pavements. Use of local material reduces transportation cost of
bringing good quality aggregates from elsewhere. However, use of binding
material involves additional cost.
The above design reduces the quantity of material required and permits the use of lower
quality aggregates. However, an inherent weakness in pavements of this design has
been the development of cracks in the surface materials as reflections of transverse
cracks in the stabilized base. In order to eliminate this weakness, an ‘inverted”
pavement design was introduced which includes a cushion of unbound granular
material between the stabilized base and the bituminous surfacing. This design was
termed “inverted” because it reversed the traditional positions of the stabilized and
unbound layers.

OBJECTIVE

The need for improved road performance, optimal use of resources, budget constraints,
and energy efficiency prompt the analysis of alternative pavement structures. Inverted
base pavements have been used as affordable and structurally competent pavement
structures in South Africa since the 1970’s .The South African flexible pavement design
emphasizes the importance of a good foundation, and involves novel construction
methods and careful material selection to achieve dense unbound aggregate layers that
exhibit a remarkable ability to support the heaviest traffic loads under both dry and wet
conditions. The unbound aggregate layer is compacted on top of a cement-treated base
to provide a suitable foundation, both during compaction and throughout the service life
While stabilized layers alone improve the structural capacity of the pavement they may
cause reflective cracking, which accelerates pavement deterioration. Yet, a stone inter-
layer can prevent the propagation of reflective cracks through strain dissipation within

the unbound aggregate layer. Both, the South African experience and the accumulating
experience in the U.S.A. show that inverted base pavements may outperform
Conventional flexible pavement structures. The various components of an inverted
pavement, its utility, performance and advantages over the conventional flexible
systems are discussed in this paper. As of now, no guideline is available in India for
structural design of bituminous pavement with such cemented base/ sub-base and
hence most of the information is based on the studies carried out in South Africa.

DISCUSSION

Inverted base pavements consist of an unbound aggregate base confined by a stiff

cement-treated foundation layer and a thin asphalt cover. The thin asphalt cover and the
proximity of the unbound aggregate layer to the surface make the granular layer a
critical structural element. Unlike conventional pavement sections which rely on the
upper stiff layers to bear and spread the traffic loads, the unbound aggregate inter-layer
in an inverted base pavement plays a major role in the mechanical response of the
pavement structure.Inverted pavement system is an innovative pavement technology
developed in South Africa in the 1970s. The materials used in an inverted pavement are
the same as in conventional Flexible pavements with the material layers being
rearranged. Unlike in a Flexible pavement system , where Unbound Aggregate
Base(UAB) layer is placed on the subgrade and thicker Hot Mix Asphalt(HMA) layers
are placed on top, in an inverted pavement a Cement Treated Base(CTB) layer is
placed on the prepared subgrade with the UAB layer placed on top followed by the HMA
layers. The components of the system consist of the following:
 Thin HMA layer of about 2 inches.
  UAB layer of 6-8 inches, compacted to a minimum of 100 percent modified
Proctor density.
 CTB layer of 6-12 inches with cement loading of approximately 4 percent.

Performance of Inverted Pavements

Inverted pavement systems achieve their performance by taking advantage of the

engineering properties of the various pavement layer materials. Each layer is placed in
its optimum position to perform and achieve best results. A CTB layer placed over a
prepared subgrade provides a strong, rigid foundation on which to compact the UAB
layer. UAB is a very unique paving material that becomes softer with increased loading.
Since, UAB is non-linear stress dependent the stiffness or resilient modulus will be
much greater when used in an inverted pavement compared to a conventional flexible
pavement system as the base is closer to the pavement surface where the stresses are
greater. In an inverted pavement the overall stress state within the UAB can be 3 to 5
times than seen in a conventional flexible system. In response to this increased stress
state, the UAB becomes stiffer.

A thin layer of HMA is placed on the UAB layer. Thinner HMA layers are possible
because of the measured stiffness and strength provided by the UAB layer. South Africa
has successfully used inverted pavements for high volume traffics. For design
purposes, the structural capacity of the pavement system is designed into the subgrade,
CTB and UAB layers. The HMA surface is not considered to add any strength value to
the pavement structure from design standpoint. Periodic maintenance should be carried
out of the HMA layer to insure optimal performance.

Reason of using an Inverted pavement

The method of providing a CTB layer with flexible pavements reduces the quantity of
material requirement and permits the use of low quality aggregates. However, an
inherent weakness in pavements of this design has been the development of cracks in
the surfacing material. Cement-treated bases emerged to provide a suitable foundation
for high quality densely compacted unbound aggregate bases throughout their service
life. While stabilized layers alone improve the structural capacity of the pavement they
may cause reflective cracking, which accelerates pavement deterioration. Yet, a stone
inter-layer can prevent the propagation of reflective cracks through strain dissipation
within the unbound aggregate layer. Optimal utilization of the structural properties of the
UAB in combination with a thin HMA layer and a CTB layer provides an excellent
method of achieving performance, economic savings (both initial and life cycle), and
sustainability.

Benefits (Field performance)

South Africa has used inverted pavements for more than 40 years with excellent results.
It is specified for their high volume highway applications. Heavy vehicle simulator (HVS)
testing has shown that inverted pavements with only 40mm of HMA are capable of
accommodating traffic demands up to 50 million standard axles. Testing has found that
if a pavement with crushed stone base is maintained with resurfacings at appropriate
intervals, the pavement can provide service for an indefinite time.

.5

Figure2 Reflection cracking in Flexible pavement with CTB layer

.
 Figure3 Providing UAB layer over CTB layer to prevent reflection cracking

6
Benefits (Economics)

In the economic evaluation of inverted pavements versus a conventional flexible system

the cost of the asphalt binder will be a major determining factor in the overall
construction cost. When inverted pavements are compared to concrete pavements, the
cost of cement will be a critical factor. The following are some limited cost comparisons
(Initial construction and life cycle) of inverted pavements relative to other pavement
types.
 South Africa has determined that inverted pavements offer a 20 to 25 % life cycle
savings compared to asphalt base pavements.
 Virginia DOT/Luck Stone Bull Run Bypass (Highway 659), project planned for
2010:
 Conventional flexible pavements section: (11%HMA/ 3” Open Graded
HMA Drainage layer/8” CTB)
 Inverted section: (5” HMA/ 6” UAB/ 10”CTB)
 An initial construction cost savings of 22% has been calculated for the inverted
section.

Benefits (Energy demand)

A major advantage of using inverted pavements is the potential for reduced energy
demand relative to conventional flexible and rigid pavement systems. Inverted
pavements have reduced energy demand relative to conventional flexible and rigid
pavement systems. The total end use energy demand of unbound “granular materials”
or aggregates is about 80 percent less than HMA or concrete. Compared to flexible
systems, the overall energy demand of an inverted pavement is lower as a result of
reduced HMA thickness and by utilizing base and CTB. When compared to a concrete
pavement, the potential energy savings would be gained through the elimination of the
concrete pavement layer and replacement with an inverted structure.

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Benefits (Product Mix)

A flexible pavement design generally utilizes more total aggregate than a rigid pavement
system. It has been seen that the total aggregate demand for an inverted pavement
design is very similar to the flexible design; however, the product mix is different.
Compared to the flexible design, the base quantity will increase, while the clean stone
quantity will decrease. This is due to the CTB layer being used and a reduction in HMA
thickness. In many cases this may help the aggregate plant in achieving a more
balanced operation and better utilization of resources.

Conclusion

Given the current trend of depleting natural resources, use of such technologies
need to be encouraged further. However, complete evaluation of such material
in terms of engineering properties, performance and construction issues are important
considerations. Such pavements may turn out to be economical and may be helpful in
terms of utilization of locally available marginal aggregates.
The “inverted” pavement design was conceived as a possible method that would reduce
or eliminate the transverse cracking in flexible pavement surfaces that develops as a
reflection of transverse cracks in the underlying stabilized aggregate base. In the
inverted design, an unbound layer of granular material, often used as a subbase
beneath the stabilized base, is placed between the bituminous surfacing and the
stabilized base material to serve as a “cushion coarse” separating the surfacing and the
stabilized base. This reverses or “inverts” the normal positions of these layers, thus, the
term “inverted pavement”.

References

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pavements”, 5th International RILEM Conference, Limoges, May 2004.

Das, A., and Pandey, B .B.,(1998)."Bituminous pavement with cemented base”’

Highway Research Board Bulletin, No. 58, 1998, pp.77-94.

H.L.Theyse,et al.,(1996)."Overview of the South African Mechanistic Pavement Design

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