Sustainable pavement drainage systems: Subgrade moisture, subsurface drainage methods and drainage effectiveness

Drainage has been commonly employed in pavement structures to intercept water from entering pavement or to lower the water table to control the moisture content on distinct road layers. A comprehensive understanding of drainage methods and their effectiveness can facilitate pavement drainage design. Thus, a selective literature review was conducted to demonstrate subgrade moisture variation and pavement drainage methods. The sub-grade moisture variation was evaluated based on previous studies from three aspects: field investigation, drainage simulation and laboratory studies. Subsurface drainage methods were summarized and some examples were demonstrated. Drainage effectiveness and its influencing factors were analysed to clarify their hydraulic and mechanical effectiveness. Research implications were proposed to provide a reference for further studies. This study aims to improve the knowledge of pavement drainage and provide a reference for sustainable drainage design. Thus, this will facilitate the development of sustainable pavement drainage systems.

Automated summary

This study conducted a selective literature review to demonstrate subgrade moisture variation and pavement drainage methods in order to improve the knowledge of pavement drainage and provide a reference for sustainable drainage design, facilitating the development of sustainable pavement drainage systems.