Volume 36, N. 3, September-December 2013 | DOWNLOAD PDF(16 downloads)
Abstract
The literature review of previous studies and the analysis of observations and knowledge gathered in Africa, as well as regional experience in Brazil, India and Australia on the influences of texture, grain size distribution and mineralogy conditions on the stability of materials used in pavement base have shown that the mechanical behaviour of lateritic soils is strongly influenced by their physical and mineralogical properties, we argue in this article that development of new procedures for classification of these soils as new building materials, that consider appropriate designs for the humid tropics and the nature and state parameters associated with the mechanical behaviour, can broaden the use of a higher percentage of local soils in pavement layers for low cost road compared to traditional techniques.
