Test design to determine the behaviour of block pavements in the presence of traffic loads

During the last few decades, block pavements have experienced a rebirth in urban areas. Occasionally, however, such pavements are exposed to excessively high forces they cannot tolerate and often cause block displacement. As a result, permanent and costly damages may be incurred. In order to evaluate the decisive variables for these kinds of deformation, it is necessary to design and develop tests that show such behaviour under simulated conditions. This article then presents new tests especially designed for this purpose, allowing a comparison of different types of block pavements. In this manner, and on the basis of obtained results, paving block features can be modified until the desired performance is achieved.

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