Always correctly anchored
Kaunas brings the first cobbled street in the Baltics a pavement fixing or anchoring system. In Germany, the system was introduced in 2014 with the nomination “INNOVATION OF THE YEAR” and, with the right design, it fixes the pavement surface and serves as a long-term saving in the road construction and maintenance section of national and municipal budgets.
Road surfacing is a tried and tested construction method dating back 2500 years. The Romans used large slabs of roughly hewn natural stone in their ancient cities. Roman road builders perfectly implemented the planning requirements with the technical means available at the time. One component, however, has completely changed over the centuries, namely traffic loads. During the Roman Empire, traffic consisted of passenger vehicles and chariots. Today, heavy trucks, special vehicles and buses serve as everyday modes of transport.
In order to obtain a long-term solution for the future, the German Road and Traffic Research Society FSGV (Cologne) launched a booklet on 16 January 2014, following the completion of tests and inspections, which provides instructions for the execution of large-format concrete and natural stone slabs, as well as solutions for fixing the pavement to prevent deformation.
At the beginning of the pavement design, the expected traffic loads must be correctly calculated, and the maintenance vehicles that will “occasionally” run on the pavement, but even once can cause significant damage to the pavement, must not be forgotten. In every pavement design area there are areas subject to increased traffic loads. And in these areas, over time, we see deformation in virtually every form of pavement surface, occurring at high load points such as bus stops, street junctions and turns, cul-de-sacs, stop signs and traffic lights, driveways, exiting areas, slopes, etc.
In order to properly reinforce the pavement, not only the expected traffic volume and the maximum possible vehicle mass, but also the vehicle movement curves and the types of vehicle movement forces: gravity, torsion and braking forces must be taken into account. Typically, the expected movement curves are simulated and even tested on the planned surface. This process demonstrates the type of vehicle movement profiles and allows the anchoring of pavements to be planned so that the movement of vehicles on the pavement surface does not move the pavement and damage the pavement slabs.
All possible movement curves, loads and potential weak points in the pavement should be considered during the design. In areas of increased loading, the manufacturer’s engineers shall calculate the number of anchors required and their location according to the risks to be expected. Therefore, the most important thing in this case is to correctly formulate the task and model the possible traffic directions and identify the areas of increased load in the pavement in order to protect them properly.
Projects always have pavement areas subjected to increased heavy loads – higher than the rest of the area – with heavy vehicles generating high static and equally high dynamic forces. Anchors in these areas are an additional means of securing the pavement. Anchors are recommended not only for bus stops, junctions, areas before pedestrian crossings, turning areas, turning circles and other traffic areas where vehicles are subjected to increased traffic loads, but also for usually forgotten areas such as delivery points or areas near water intake hydrants, drains, road signs and pedestrian areas.
In general, engineers have devised solutions with different anchoring types for very different road construction risk areas with increased vehicle loads. What we can do now is to follow the recommendations and example of German road engineers when it comes to making road surfaces last longer, thus saving taxpayers’ money in the long term.
Bus stops are one of the most popular protected areas for traffic . Special protection is provided for them, as there are many bus stops and their regular repair not only causes perpetual frustration among consumers, but also a never-ending expense for the state and municipal budgets. Due to the constant starting and stopping of vehicles in these areas, deformation of the asphalt is inevitable and the solution of paving over the area by anchoring is the solution.
Much attention has also been paid to entrance/exit areas, junctions, roundabouts and many other cases where the investment in strengthening the pavement has proven to be reliable and worthwhile in the long term.
