Biography
Kim Jenkins practiced as a consultant in Civil Engineering for 12 years after studying at the University of Natal in South Africa. Carrying out investigations and designs primarily in geotechnics, materials and pavement design raised more questions than were answerable. A curiosity for more fundamental solutions led Kim to part time research at a Masters level, which opened even more unquantifiable conundrums. Whilst working on pavement engineering projects, Kim began to focus on road rehabilitation and recycling technology. An opportunity to perform full time research into bitumen stabilization and material performance at Stellenbosch University and Delft University of Technology allowed Kim to specialize in this area. He is currently the incumbent of the SANRAL Chair in Pavement Engineering at Stellenbosch University, sponsored by the South African National Roads Agency Limited.
Appropriate Pavement Technologies in a Developing, Changing World
Do significant fundamental theoretical and scientific advancements in materials and pavement technology translate into significant benefits where the “rubber meets the road”? In which primary areas of pavement engineering would technological improvements yield the most benefits? How would such benefits be realized? These are questions that I would like to explore.
Highbrow research is making major strides in response and damage modelling of materials and pavement structures, using high-tech apparatus and instrumentation, as well as FEM, Discrete Elements Models or other approaches. This paper will use some examples of such recent developments in these fields to provide some insight into their contributions to the industry.
But, where do the global roads industry’s needs and priorities lie? In appropriate material response models for materials that provide sustainable solutions e.g. including recycled aggregates and marginal materials? In improved and more reliable structural design methods for flexible pavements that carry low to high volumes of traffic. In fundamental surfacing-seal models that link to structural and functional pavement performance analysis. Improved construction practices with reduced variability and reduced risk of premature failures? Some of the latest developments in these fields, emanating from South Africa and elsewhere, are explored in this key note paper.