Bearing Capacity Standards for Forest Roads Constructed Using Various Technologies from Mechanically and Chemically Stabilised Aggregate

Abstract

Forest roads are essential for adequate forest management and environmental protection. They enable tourism and recreation activity, while at the same time playing a very important role in fire protection. When open to the local traffic, they significantly supplement the public traffic networks. Costs of constructing permanent roads in forested areas are considerable, because they need to have adequate bearing capacity. Forest roads are predominantly constructed using natural or anthropogenic aggregate stabilised mechanically and chemically. A tangible parameter verifying the proper construction of road structure is provided by its bearing capacity, i.e. the capacity of the pavement to carry loads generated by traffic without excessive strains hindering normal use of the pavement or reducing its durability. Some forest road networks are also constructed as temporary roads composed of cheaper aggregates. It seems reasonable to assume different bearing capacity standards for such roads than for permanent roads.The aim of the studies presented in this paper was to develop bearing capacity standards for forest roads constructed using various technologies. The adopted research hypothesis assumes that each of the analysed technologies is characterised by a different bearing capacity required during road construction inspections. An example of such a structure may be provided by the so-called geotextile mattress and crushed stone constructed on wetland soils. When developing the standards, the analyses included the predicted traffic intensity, assumed operation time before rehabilitation is required, soil conditions and the type of construction material.Bearing capacity of the testing road sections was assessed based on values of strain moduli calculated from the static plate load tests (VSS). As a result, bearing capacity standards were obtained for structures constructed using aggregates and chemical stabilisers as well as geotextiles potentially facilitating reduction of the layer thickness without deterioration of road durability.

Classification Systems Applied to Forest Road Planning: Research Gap Analysis

“…The bearing capacity of forest road networks is explored and developed by Czerniak et al [23] and Mușat et al [33], who consider different road structure solutions using the finite element method to assess the response of the structure to different loads.…”

Evaluation of Sustainable Potential Bearing Capacity of Tourism Environment Under Uncertainty: A Multiphase Intuitionistic Fuzzy EDAS Technique Based on Hamming Distance and Logarithmic Distance Measures

“…In the government report of the 2021 Two Sessions, it was pointed out to solidly carry out various tasks of "carbon neutrality" and "carbon peaking", and formulate action plans to achieve carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. The proposal of the "dual carbon" goal is an important opportunity and challenge for the low-carbon and green transformation of the tourism industry, which is conducive to promoting low-carbon and sustainable development in various tourism industry chains and tourist destinations, thereby contributing strength and value to China's future sustainable development [12][13][14]. At present, China's tourism industry is relatively traditional in terms of economic growth mode and has enormous potential for carbon reduction.…”