Prediction of hydraulic and acoustic properties of open-graded mixes

The use of open-graded mixes increases significantly the hydraulic permeability of pavement and contributes to reduce the noise impact in comparison to traditional pavement. Such characteristics are very appealing and would greatly increase driver's safety. However, during service life, the pores tend to be clogged by many factors among them secondary traffic compaction and filling of voids by fine materials are relevant, especially on heavy routes. In this case the noise reduction and drainage capabilities will gradually disappear, causing serious problems for road safety and maintenance. In this paper we propose a simulation approach in order to predict the drainage and acoustic behavior of open-graded mixes during service life. This numerical procedure allows to investigate the correlations between some indicators, extrapolated from the simulation, and the behavior of open-graded mixes, in order to optimize the design of the mix and the road maintenance. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group.