Pavimentos y bases de hormigón en firmes urbanos.

Concrete pavements have certain qualities (low maintenance and high durability, stable and resistant surfaces, light colour, mitigation of heat-island effect, aesthetic possibilities, etc.) which make their use in road surfaces highly interesting. This paper analyses those benefits along with certain drawbacks which have tended to be attributed to this solution (length of time up to opening to traffic, acoustic properties, etc.) which can however be suitably addressed using the techniques currently available. It reviews the various types of concrete pavement, aspects to be considered in their design (such as thicknesses or joints) and the available construction methods. A detailed analysis is made of certain options as regards the finish of concrete pavements in which colouring, printing, texturing, retarded curing and other techniques allow us to achieve a great variety of decorative effects without sacrificing slip resistance. Finally it examines some properties of lean-mix concrete road bases, as widely used in road pavements in many cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]