AUTHOR=Pardeshi Vasantsingh , Nimbalkar Sanjay , Khabbaz Hadi TITLE=Field Assessment of Gravel Loss on Unsealed Roads in Australia JOURNAL=Frontiers in Built Environment VOLUME=6 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00003 DOI=10.3389/fbuil.2020.00003 ISSN=2297-3362 ABSTRACT=

The gravel loss is a major limitation for unsealed roads and it needs major maintenance annually. The continual process of gravel loss leads to the unsustainability of these roads. The unsealed road management faces several issues, viz., difficulty to forecast behavior, huge data collection needs, and a vulnerability in the service and maintenance practices. The quality of gravel material also plays a major role in the process of gravel loss. In view of the aforementioned, appropriate revisions to ARRB material specifications are proposed in this study. The gravel material as per modified ARRB specifications is used on the unsealed road network in the Scenic Rim Regional Council in the state of Queensland. Gravel loss monitoring stations were established over the entire region in order to assess the gravel loss and the implication of using a better quality of gravel material. This study discusses the gravel loss monitoring approaches, data analyses, and improved material specification for gravel. It is found that the modified gravel used on unsealed road performs better than conventionally used gravel.