Question

With flexible pavement, the highest stress occurs at the surface and the stress increases as the depth of the pavement decreases.

(a) True

(b) False

I had been asked this question during an online exam.

This interesting question is from Analysis of Rate of Road Work in section Analysis of Rates of Civil Engineering Drawing

Answer 1

Correct answer is (b) False

The best I can explain: With flexible pavement, the highest stress occurs at the surface and the stress decreases as the depth of the pavement increases. Therefore, the highest quality material needs to be used for the surface, while lower quality materials can be used as the depth of the pavement increases. The term “flexible” is used because of the asphalts ability to bend and deform slightly, then return to its original position as each traffic load is applied and removed. It is possible for these small deformations to become permanent, which can lead to rutting in the wheel path over an extended time.