Introduction. The introduction to the paper highlights the advantages of the «foundation concept» based on the interpretation of a pavement as the construction comprising the two main consecutively designed and constructed elements: the pavement foundation and the pavement construction itself. The realization of that concept allows the design and construction of so-called long-life pavements according up to 400 msa using hydraulically bound mixtures [2], or HBM.
Problem Statement. The issues of the paper concern the problems of implementation of the European standards related requirements into native systems for road pavements designing.
Purpose. The goal of the paper is to analyze the main provisions of the «foundation concept» and its possibilities in the application of the European standards requirements concerning road materials for the improvement of current systems for road pavements design.
Results. The classification of the road pavement foundations was reviewed which is based on the long-term confined foundation surface modulus (FSM) values and comprises four classes (FC): FC1 – FSM ≥ 50 МPа; FC2 – FSM ≥ 100 МPа; FC3 – FSM ≥ 200 МPа; FC4 – FSM ≥ 400 МPа. According such classification, the two methodologies for the pavement foundation design were briefly reviewed and compared: the restricted foundation design and the performance foundation design.
The elements of a road pavement foundation were considered: subgrade, capping layer and base layer, giving definitions of their functionality and parameters to be approved and/or checked during designing and construction stages. The peculiarities of the designing and construction each of the elements of the pavement foundation were stated.
Further, the pavement construction design was reviewed where this construction has been accepted as comprising the base course, binder course and surface course and is to be designed as a «composite type» or comprehending the bituminous materials only.
Conclusions. The level of adaptation of the system of national standards regarding the technical specifications, methods of specimen preparation and testing of road materials, especially HBM, to the requirements of the European level corresponds to the current degree of readiness for the industrial implementation and takes into consideration the implementation of ENTSO-E standards, however, questions arise about the adaptation of the native system of road pavement designing to such requirements.
The peculiar attention should be paid to the correlation of current chart schemes for road pavement construction design with the design characteristics of road materials approved in the European standards. The considered road pavement design system, in particular with the possibility of designing a «composite type» pavement construction, is one of the suggestions for finding appropriate constructive solutions.
