Technical report on porous asphalt - Pavement design costings

[Kiwi7]

Hello All,

I am a second year student attending Loughborough University currently doing a piece of coursework on porous asphalt and your website has proved really helpful. However one section of the coursework has asked me to look at comparisons of costings based on laying 10km of porous asphalt as opposed to non-porous asphalt. I have to include labour,plant,material overheads and profit costs. Im completely baffled as I cant seem to find such specific info anywhere.

Would you have any recommendations of where I could look or any ideas on the answer.

Any help would be great because I literally have nooo clue.

Thanks

[Stumpyclifford]

Try SAPCA, Sport And Play Contractors Association, there based at Loughborough university I believe, they may be able to point you in the right direction as most tennis courts use porous macadams.

Regards
Cliff

[Kiwi7]

Thank you Cliff. I'll definitely be getting in contact with them.

[GB_Groundworks]

be a tough one as economies of scale are in place at that scale so be bigger then most lads do here maybe big phil but its more the multinational lads doing motorways highways etc tarmac is the only one that comes to mind, and i guess pricing is competitive advantage.

good luck, but wont be easy

[Kiwi7]

Thank you Giles, looks like leaving the coursework to the last minute was not a very good idea.

[GB_Groundworks]

Haha I wrote 18000 words in two weeks for my thesis and got a 2:1 in computer science but I'd lived and worked it for 18 months on placement so knew my shizzle.

Good luck

[Kiwi7]

Arrrrghhh . . . . SHOW OFF!! (she says jealously) lol

[pickwell paving]

scott wilson pavement engineering might be worth asking I'm sure they do whole life costs for block paving not sure about the black stuff though

[Kiwi7]

Cheers

[Big Phil]

Plant & labour should be the same, the material costs will of course differ. profits on schemes aren't just on competitive pricing, it can be on early completion too. For 10km, do we assume it's a highway design? have you been given some traffic volume data as you can't pluck a figure out of thin air. In simple terms, you would have to lay a porous asphalt construction thicker than conventional asphalt for the same traffic loading - so more material used and possibly increased installation time.

[Kiwi7]

Hi Phil,

yes its for highway design . . . what I've posted is literally all the information I have been given which makes it even more tricky. It also seems that the cost will be influenced by what type of drainage system you use underneath the wearing course.

The information you have given me is really helpful though. Thanks

[Big Phil]

Highway design is covered in DMRB V7 FD26/06 which you can download from http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/vol7/section2.htm. other bedtime reading is the MCHW (SHW) V1 & 2 found on the same site, for material details.

Full porous construction isn't covered as pavements are designed for min 40 years and the last thing you want is water ingress on a highway, but you could offer a porous asphalt surface course to allow quick drainage to the edges when laid on an impermeable binder course. it won't last long mind, as durability is a serious issue. if was me, i'd go for the same BASE and BINDER COURSE for the 2 designs, then choose the different SURFACE COURSE, 1 standard 40mm of a 942 TSCS, 1 porous 20mm PA that you'll have to replace/repair every couple of years.

From the design curve, for example: at 80msa on a class 2 foundation of capping and subbase the total asphalt thickness when using a DBM50/HDM50 is 360mm. so you would have:

40mm TSCS
60mm 20 DBM50/HDM50 BC
260mm 32 DBM50/HDM50 BASE

or

20mm PA
60mm 20 DBM50/HDM50 BC
280mm 32 DBM50/HDM50 BASE



i'll forward you details for the consultancy fee

[Kiwi7]

WOW Phil

Thanks!!!

. . . funny you mentioned MCHW because I have to look at the significance of the Manual of Contract Documents for Highways Vol 1,2 and 4in relaio to porous/non porous asphalt . . . you clearly know your stuff. I should have paid you a fee to do it :laugh: THE MCHW is certainly bedtime reading. Hopefully i can get my head around it and come up with a decent answer that at least makes sense to the reader if not to me.

your post again was very helpful . . . wish i had yor brain lol !

[Kiwi7]

This is probably a very basic question with a basic answer, but what is the significance of the Manual of Contractor Documents for highway Works in regard to asphalt .. is the answer simply that it provides guidelines for the works ie materials, guides on setting out of BQ's ?

[Big Phil]

basically yes. your contract document will have set clauses that relate to the various series in MCHW.