PAVEMENT ENGINEERING (ECG524)

TOPIC 5.0
PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE AND DISTRESS

Topic Outlines
5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Pavement Distress Assessment on Pavement Condition Pavement Maintenance Pavement Repair and Rehabilitations

Learning Outcomes

Synopsis: Scope covers on types of distresses for both flexible and rigid pavements, their causes and method of measurements. Serviceability and performance criteria are discussed.

At the end of the topic, students should be able to: Identify and explain the various types of pavement distresses, their causes and simple evaluation. (CO3-PO3) To measure the serviceability and performance status of pavement(CO3-PO4)

Topic 5.1
Pavement Distress

Overview
Pavement Distress

Can be categorized as: i. Cracks ii. Surface Deformations iii. Surface defects

Topic 5.1.1
Cracks

Cracks
Cracks could exist as various patterns of fissures. It may appear as longitudinal crack, transverse crack, diagonal crack, chicken-wire or fishnet crack, ladder or block crack, crescent crack and etc.

Figure : Different Types of Cracks ( Road Branch of Public Road Department, 1992)

Type of Cracks
i. Fatigue (Alligator/crocodile) Cracking
Description: Series of interconnected cracks caused by fatigue failure of the HMA surface (or stabilized base) under repeated traffic loading.

Problem: Indicator of structural failure, cracks allow moisture infiltration, roughness, may further deteriorate to a pothole. Possible Causes: Inadequate structural support, Increase in loading & Poor construction.

Type of Cracks (cont..)

ii. Block Cracking
Description: Interconnected cracks that divide the pavement up into rectangular pieces. Problem: Allows moisture infiltration, roughness Possible Causes: HMA shrinkage and daily temperature cycling, Asphalt binder aging & Poor choice of asphalt binder.

Type of Cracks (cont..)

iii. Longitudinal Cracking
Description: Cracks parallel to the pavement's centerline or laydown direction. Usually a type of fatigue cracking.

Problem: Allows moisture infiltration, roughness, indicates possible onset of alligator cracking and structural failure
Possible Causes: Poor joint construction HMA fatigue

Type of Cracks (cont..) iv. Slippage/Crescent Cracking

Description: Half-moon shaped cracks generally having two ends pointed into the direction of traffic. Problem: Allows moisture infiltration, roughness

Possible Causes: Turning wheels cause the pavement surface to slide and deform.

Type of Cracks (cont..) v. Joint Reflection Cracking

Description: Cracks in a flexible overlay of a rigid pavement. The cracks occur directly over the underlying rigid pavement joints.

Problem: Allows moisture infiltration, roughness

Possible Causes: Movement of the PCC slab beneath the HMA surface because of thermal and moisture changes

Type of Cracks (cont..) vi. Transverse (Thermal) Cracking

Description: Cracks perpendicular to the pavement's centerline or laydown direction. Usually a type of thermal cracking. Problem: Allows moisture infiltration, roughness

Possible Causes: Shrinkage of the HMA surface due to low temperatures or asphalt binder hardening Reflective crack caused by cracks beneath the surface HMA layer

Topic 5.1.2
Surface Deformation

14

Surface Deformation
Deformation takes place when a road surface undergoes changes from its original constructed profile. May occur influences. after construction due to trafficking or environmental

Figure
Source:

Different Types of Surface Deformations

Road Branch of Public Road Department (1992)

Type of Deformations (cont..)

i. Rutting
Description: Longitudinal depression in the wheel paths after repeated application of axle loading. Problem: Ruts filled with water can cause vehicle hydroplaning, can be hazardous because ruts tend to pull a vehicle towards the rut path as it is steered across the rut.
Possible Causes: Insufficient compaction of HMA layers during construction. Subgrade rutting (e.g., as a result of inadequate pavement structure) Improper mix design or manufacture (e.g., excessively high asphalt content, excessive mineral filler, insufficient amount of angular aggregate particles)

Type of Deformations (cont..)

ii. Depression
Description: Localized pavement surface areas with slightly lower elevations than the surrounding pavement. Depressions are very noticeable after a rain when they fill with water. Problem: Roughness, depressions filled with substantial water can cause vehicle hydroplaning Possible Causes: Subgrade settlement resulting from inadequate compaction during construction.

Type of Deformations (cont..)

iii. Corrugation and Shoving

Description: An abrupt wave or bulging of road surface where braking or acceleration movement occur.

Problem: Roughness
Possible Causes: Usually caused by traffic action (starting and stopping) combined with: An unstable (i.e. low stiffness) HMA layer (caused by mix contamination, poor mix design, poor HMA manufacturing, or lack of aeration of liquid asphalt emulsions) Excessive moisture in the subgrade

Topic 5.1.3
Surface Defects

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Type of Defects

i. Polished Aggregate
Description: Areas of HMA pavement where the portion of aggregate extending above the asphalt binder is either very small or there are no rough or angular aggregate particles.

Problem: Decreased skid resistance

Possible Causes: Repeated traffic applications. Generally, as a pavement ages the protruding rough, angular particles become polished. This can occur quicker if the aggregate is susceptible to abrasion

Type of Defects (cont..)

ii. Potholes
Description: Small, bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface that penetrate all the way through the HMA layer down to the base course. They generally have sharp edges and vertical sides near the top of the hole. Potholes are most likely to occur on roads with thin HMA surfaces (25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inches)) Problem: Roughness (serious vehicular damage can result from driving across potholes at higher speeds), moisture infiltration Possible Causes: Generally, potholes are the end result of alligator cracking. As alligator cracking becomes severe, the interconnected cracks create small chunks of pavement, which can be dislodged as vehicles drive over them. The remaining hole after the pavement chunk is dislodged is called a pothole

Type of Defects

iii. Raveling
Description: The progressive disintegration of an HMA layer from the surface downward as a result of the dislodgement of aggregate particles. Problem: Loose debris on the pavement, roughness, water collecting in the raveled locations resulting in vehicle hydroplaning, loss of skid resistance. Possible Causes: Several including: Loss of bond between aggregate particles and the asphalt binder Inadequate compaction during construction. High density is required to develop sufficient cohesion within the HMA.

Type of Defects

iv. Stripping
Description: The loss of bond between aggregates and asphalt binder that typically begins at the bottom of the HMA layer and progresses upward. Problem: Decreased structural support, rutting, shoving/corrugations, raveling, or cracking (alligator and longitudinal)

Possible Causes: Poor aggregate surface chemistry Water in the HMA causing moisture damage

Type of Defects

v. Bleeding
Description: The presence of asphalt binder film on the pavement surface, likely to occur in the wheel path.

Problem: Loss of skid resistance when wet

Possible Causes: Excessive asphalt binder in the HMA (either due to mix design or manufacturing) Excessive application of asphalt binder during BST application (as in the above figures) Low HMA air void content (e.g., not enough room for the asphalt to expand into during hot weather)

Topic 5.2
Assessment on Pavement Condition

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Methods For Measuring Roadway Condition

Four (4) characteristics of pavement condition used in evaluating pavement rehabilitation needs; 1) Pavement roughness (ride ability) 2) Pavement distress (surface condition) 3) Skid resistance (safety) 4) Pavement deflection (structural failure)

1) Pavement Roughness

Refers to irregularities in the pavement surface that affect the smoothness of a ride. Roughness is an important pavement characteristic because it affects not only ride quality but also vehicle delay costs, fuel consumption and maintenance costs

Measurement Roughness is typically quantified using - Present Serviceability Rating (PSR) - International Roughness Index (IRI)

2) Pavement/surface distress

Refers to the condition of a pavement surface in terms of its general appearance.

A perfect pavement is level and has a continuous and unbroken surface. In contrast, a distressed pavement may be fractured, distorted or disintegrated.
Fracture. This could be in the form of cracking (in flexible and rigid pavements) or spelling resulting from such things as excessive loading, fatigue, thermal changes, moisture damage, slippage or contraction.

2) Pavement/surface distress (cont...)

Distortion. This is in the form of deformation (e.g., rutting, corrugation and shoving), which can result from such things as excessive loading, creep, densification, consolidation, swelling, or frost action.

Disintegration. This is in the form of stripping. raveling or spalling , which can result from such things as loss of bonding, chemical reactivity, traffic abrasion, aggregate degradation, poor consolidation/compaction or binder aging.

3) Skid resistance

Skid resistance is the force developed when a tire that is prevented from rotating slides along the pavement surface. Inadequate skid resistance will lead to higher incidences of skid related accidents. Skid resistance depends on a pavement surface's microtexture and macrotexture Microtexture: Refers to the small-scale texture of the pavement aggregate component (which controls contact between the tire rubber and the pavement surface) Macrotexture: Refers to the large-scale texture of the pavement as a whole due to the aggregate particle arrangement

4. Pavement Deflection

Pavement surface deflection measurements are the primary means of evaluating a flexible pavement structure and rigid pavement load transfer. Surface deflection is an important pavement evaluation method because the magnitude and shape of pavement deflection is a function of; - Traffic (type and volume), - Pavement structural section, - Temperature affecting the pavement structure and - Moisture affecting the pavement structure.

Topic 5.3
Pavement Maintenance

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Overview

Pavement maintenance describes all the methods and techniques used to prolong pavement life by slowing its deterioration rate. The performance of a pavement is directly tied to the timing, type and quality of the maintenance it receives

Type of Maintenance i. Crack Seals

The purpose and application of crack sealing to HMA pavement
Crack

seal products are used to fill individual pavement cracks to prevent entry of water or other non-compressible substances such as sand, dirt, rocks or weeds. Crack sealant is typically used on early stage longitudinal cracks, transverse cracks, reflection cracks and block cracks. In HMA pavements, non sealed or poorly sealed cracks allow moisture and debris to enter the pavement structure which contributes to asphalt stripping, secondary cracking, depressed crack edges, spalling, and lipping (elevated crack edges).

In addition the presence of excess water in the pavement base or subgrade

tends to reduce the compressive and shear strengths of the supporting materials immediately below and adjacent to the crack.

As a result, applied traffic loads in the vicinity of the crack create greater pavement deflections, additional cracking and eventually potholes. There is a general consensus among states experience that supports sealing cracks as a cost effective rehabilitation or maintenance treatment

Crack sealant

Type of Maintenance (Cont) ii. Fog Seals

A fog seal is a light application of a diluted slow-setting asphalt emulsion to the surface of an aged (oxidized) pavement surface. Fog seals are low-cost and are used to restore flexibility to an existing HMA pavement surface.
They may be able to temporarily postpone the need for a BST or non-structural overlay

Parking Lot Showing a Fog Seal on the Right Side

Type of Maintenance (Cont) iii. Slurry Seals

A slurry seal is a mixture of emulsified asphalt, water, wellgraded fine aggregate and mineral filler that has a creamy fluid-like appearance when applied.
Slurry seals are used to fill existing pavement surface defects as either a preparatory treatment for other maintenance treatments or as a wearing course.

Type of Maintenance (Cont) iv. Bituminous Surface Treatments (BST)

A bituminous surface treatment, also known as a chip seal, is a thin protective wearing surface that is applied to a pavement or base course. BSTs can provide all of the following:
A waterproof layer to protect the underlying pavement. Increased skid resistance. A fill for existing cracks or raveled surfaces.

Type of Maintenance (Cont) v. Patches

Patches are a common method of treating an area of localized distress. Patches can be either partial or fulldepth, although typically HMA pavement patches are full-depth. A high quality HMA patch can be considered a permanent repair although many patches are done as emergency repairs in poor conditions. Patching material can be just about any HMA or cold mix asphalt material as well as certain types of slurries. Typically some form of HMA is used for permanent patches, while cold mix is often used for temporary emergency repairs.

Topic 5.4
Pavement Repair and Rehabilitations

40

Overview

Maintenance can slow deterioration, but cannot stop it.

the

pavement

Effects of deterioration need rectifying by adding or replacing material in the existing pavement structure by rehabilitation. Rehabilitation: A measure to improve, strengthen or salvage existing deficient pavements to continue service when pavements exhibit distress in excess of what can be handled through routine maintenance.

Overview (cont..)

Several rehabilitation techniques: i) Restoration: To restore the surface to suitable condition and best applied to pavement with distress limited to the surfacing. ii) Resurfacing: Involve placement of fresh material on an existing surfacing. iii) Recycling: Old pavement that is reclaimed as a byproduct of pavement rehabilitation and reconstruction. iv) Reconstruction: Removal and rebuilding of all part of the pavement using new materials and construction specification.