Chapter 1: Pavements and their management

The term ‘pavement’ covers a considerable range of application, including the examples listed below

Figure 1.1 shows a range of different pavement types at an airport, ranging from pedestrian footways through to runways, taxiways and aprons.

Pavements are generally classified by construction type, the principal types of which are

The city-centre pedestrian precinct shown in Figure 1.2 has been designed to be aesthetically pleasing. While these pavements are predominantly used by pedestrians, they are often designed to withstand heavy loading, which is sometimes imposed by events that use city-centre locations (such as seasonal markets and travelling fairgrounds).

A pavement, in engineering terms, is a horizontal structure supported by in situ natural material. Its purpose is to distribute the applied traffic and other loading to such levels that it can safely and reliably be carried in a sustainable manner by the supporting soil.