A Simplified Model for Pavement Drainage

Abstract

In this paper, we present a simplified model for pavement drainage system. The model accounts for the accumulation and flow of water through a drainable base and edge drain representing a porous medium. There is an inflow through a portion of the boundary (pavement surface) as well as an outflow through a separate part of the boundary (outlet pipe). The model consists of an initial value problem governing the growth of the region saturated with water and an elliptic boundary value problem describing the flow of water within that region. The model is validated using rainfall and outflow data obtained from an instrumented site. The proposed model can be used to evaluate the characteristics of a pavement drainage system as well as to estimate its permeability.