Deferring reflection cracks in asphalt overlays

Reflection cracks invite water to enter the pavement and, as a result, can accelerate deterioration of the pavement structure. Considerable research effort has been made to predict their occurrence and discover which products and processes might defer them; however, researchers have not reached any consensus on the causes. Elastic layer pavement models are unable to adequately model reflective cracking because they assume that pavement and subgrade layers are horizontally continuous. Consequently, researchers have had to resort to modelling cracked and jointed pavements using finite element analysis. This study has therefore employed a finite element model with the ability to simulate the mechanical response of an orthogonally jointed concrete pavement to determine which variables influence the onset of reflective cracking. The study found that joint routing and resealing, stress-absorbing fabrics and overbanding joints reduce the load-induced maximum tensile strain in asphalt overlays at joints exhibiting significant mean and differential deflection. It also found that large differential deflections at pavement discontinuities greatly reduce the number of load repetitions required to produce a reflection crack, but that fatigue-resistant asphalts can help mitigate the damaging effect of differential deflections. (a) For the covering record of the conference, please refer to ITRD no. E218387.

• Corporate Authors:

  HALLMARK CONFERENCE AND EVENTS

  PO BOX 84
  HAMPTON,   Australia  3188
• Authors:
  • WRIGHT, G
• Publication Date: 2009-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 25P (DAY 2, SESSION 4)
• Monograph Title: Australian Asphalt Paving Association thirteenth international flexible pavements conference, Sunday 11th - Wednesday 14th October, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bituminous mixtures; Cracking; Pavements; Performance; Structural strengthening
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01153058
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 23 2010 9:14AM