Towards a mechanistic structural design method for surface mine haul roads : technical paper

The structural design of a pavement relates to the ability of the road to carry the imposed loads without the need for excessive maintenance or premature rehabilitation. The need to develop a practical structural design method for mine haul roads was identified. The aim of the paper is to develop a mechanistic structural design procedure. The current state of mine haul road structural design was assessed through the analysis and quantification of existing pavement structural performance. These pavements were then analysed mechanistically and, through a comparative analysis of the results, the associated limiting design criteria and optimal mechanistic design were deduced. Finally, the benefits of the proposed mechanistic design method were verified by comparison with existing haul road designs. Die strukturele ontwerp van 'n plaveisel verwys na die vermoe van 'n pad om die las te dra sonder die noodsaaklikheid van buitensporige onderhoud of rehabilitasie. 'n Behoefte is geidentifiseer vir die ontwikkeling van 'n praktiese strukturele ontwerpmetode vir mynvervoerpaaie. Die doel van hierdie verhandeling is om 'n meganistiese strukturele ontwerpprosedure te ontwikkel. Die huidige toestand van mynvervoerpad- strukturele ontwerp is deur die analisering en kwantifisering van bestaande plaveiselwerkverrigting vasgestel. Hierdie plaveisels is dan met meganistiese metodes geanaliseer en deur 'n vergelykende analisering van die resultate daarvan, word die geassosieerde beperkingsontwerpkriterium en 'n hersiene strukturele ontwerp afgelei. Ten slotte is die voordele van die voortgestelde meganistiese ontwerpmetode geverifieer deur vergelyking met bestaande mynvervoerpad- strukturele ontwerpe.