Technical and economical comparison of flexible and rigid pavements

In this study, flexible and rigid pavement design, construction, materials used in construction, advantages and disadvantages, maintenance?repair technologies have been analysed and cost analysies prepared. There are different methods improved for designing of the two pavement types. But the most common method both in our country and in the world, is the AASHTO method . The basic material used by the constuction of flexible pavements is the bitum, which is produced from petroleum. It seems, there is a disadvantage that we are dependent on foreign petroleum, but the bitum is the last derivative product of petroleum in the refinery and it is has a very small usage area except the production of asphalt concrete. The cement, which we use for the production of rigid pavements, is produced widely in our country. But we need the cement more for the other areas of construction sector than highway construction. vii Every two pavement types has both advantages and disadvantages. But the characteristic specifications of the region (strenght of the soil, climate, traffic, topography etc?), where the road will be constructed, are the basic criteria for evaluation of advantages and disadvantages. Our country has quite advanced experience about construction and maintenance of flexible?pavement roads. We have a big of potantial both the work volume, equipment and also experinced people. In the other hand there is no enough experienced people and equipment about construction and maintenance of rigid?pavement roads. The construction and maintanence costs of the two types depend on some parameters such as strengt of soil, the volume and composition of traffic volume. But the analyses show us that the flexible pavement roads seem more economic than the rigid-pavement roads in our country conditions. The main reason for that is the high increases in the cost of cement, which is used for the construction of rigidpavement roads. Key Words : Flexible pavement, rigid pavement, asphalt, bitumen