ESTIMATION OF PAVEMENT TEMPERATURE IN NIGERIA’S CLIMATOLOGICAL ZONES

Abstract

Temperature is one of the most influential climatic factors in modern pavement design guides because it affects the rate of flexible pavement failure. This study explores the temperature characteristics of asphalt pavement across Nigeria's diverse climatological zones. It emphasizes the impact of varying climatic conditions on pavement performance, durability, and road quality. By obtaining air temperatures and computing pavement temperatures using a temperature model, the research highlights the need for specific bitumen grades tailored to local conditions. From the results, the highest average maximum pavement temperature is 44°C, observed in Zone 1 (Sokoto, Borno, Adamawa), thus requiring a 40/50 penetration grade bitumen. Zones 2, 3, and 4 are recommended to use standard bitumen grades, specifically 60/70 penetration bitumen. These recommendations of using pavement temperatures rather than air temperature can help in enhancing the resilience and longevity of road pavements in Nigeria, given the uniqueness in climate of each zone. This study can serve as a foundation for the implementation of an advanced bitumen grading system and as a criterion for selecting bitumen for different climatic zones in Nigeria.