The course provides students with advanced skills for the design, monitoring and maintenance of pavements and tracks for transportation infrastructures from both the structural and functional point of view.

Knowledge transferred to students will address the following topics: • Construction types; • Mechanical behavior and durability of materials; • Structural modelling of discrete and multilayered systems; • Modelling of the vehicle-pavement interaction; • Empirical and mechanistic design methods; • Survey methods of in-service distresses and performance; • Maintenance and rehabilitation techniques. At the end of the course students will be able to: • Design pavements and tracks for roads, railways and airports by means of advanced calculation methods; • Evaluate structural and functional conditions of in-service pavements and tracks, with the consequent definition of the most appropriate maintenance and rehabilitation actions.

Students attending the course should already possess knowledge and skills provided by the basic courses of the Bachelor in Civil Engineering and by the course of “Construction of Roads, Railways and Airports”.

• Introductory concepts to pavement and track engineering; • Structural analysis of flexible and rigid pavements; • Structural analysis of railway tracks; • Distresses and damage in flexible and rigid pavements; • Rail defects and railway track distresses; • Structural and functional design of flexible and rigid pavements for roads and airports; • Monitoring and maintenance of pavements and tracks.

Theoretical lectures are supported by exercise sessions and workshops on case studies. In exercise sessions, organized in working groups, students will apply the methods of analysis and design presented during theoretical lectures. In the workshops it will be shown to students how solve real problems in the context of professional and/or research activities in the field of pavements and tracks.

Resources: • Course notes; • Documents available on the course webpage. Supplementary references: • Santagata F.A., et al., Strade. Teoria e Tecnica delle Costruzioni Stradali, vol. I e II, Pearson; • Huang Y.H., Pavement analysis and design, Pearson; • Ullidtz P., Modelling Flexible Pavement Response and Performance, Polyteknisk Forlag; • Esveld C., Modern Railway Track, MRT-Productions; • FHWA (Federal Highway Administration), Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program; • AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures (1993).

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale; Prova scritta tramite PC con l'utilizzo della piattaforma di ateneo;

The written exam (about 60 minutes without consulting notes or books) is organized in the following two modules: 1. module with multiple choice questions 2. module with short exercises and open questions (examples are available on the course webpage). To be admitted to the oral exam, students must obtain at least 18/30 in the written exam and give a copy of the exercises report to teachers. The oral exam will take place after the written test by means of the Virtual Classroom and consists of: - a discussion on the written test; - revision of the exercises report (the student must have uploaded a digital copy of the exercises report in the “reports” section of the course); - oral examination with the lecturer to assess the ability of the student to synthesize the knowledge gained through the formulation of at least one question. The final score is defined by the Commission by combining the results of the written and oral test.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale; Prova scritta tramite PC con l'utilizzo della piattaforma di ateneo;

The written exam (about 60 minutes without consulting notes or books) is organized in the following two modules: 1. module with multiple choice questions 2. module with short exercises and open questions (examples are available on the course webpage). To be admitted to the oral exam, students must obtain at least 18/30 in the written exam and deliver a copy of the exercises report to teachers. The oral exam will take place after the written test, in person or by means of the Virtual Classroom, and consists of: - a discussion on the written test; - revision of the exercises report (the student must have uploaded a digital copy of the exercises report in the “reports” section of the course); - oral examination with the lecturer to assess the ability of the student to synthesize the knowledge gained through the formulation of at least one question. The final score is defined by the Commission by combining the results of the written and oral test.