A 4-YEAR SURVEY OF LOW TEMPERATURE TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING ON THREE ONTARIO TEST ROADS WITH DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE

NINE PAVEMENT SECTIONS MADE WITH 85-100 PENETRATION ASPHALT CEMENTS WITH THREE WIDELY DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE SUSCEPTIBILITIES WERE CONSTRUCTED ON THE THREE ONTARIO TEST ROADS. LABORATORY DATA ON PAVEMENT SAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE NINE PAVEMENT SECTIONS ON THE THREE TEST ROADS AFTER NINE YEARS OF SERVICE INDICATE THAT THE PAVING MIXTURES ARE DENSE GRADED, WELL DESIGNED, AND WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRANSVERSE CRACKING AND PFEIFFER AND VAN DOORMAAL PENETRATION INDICES OF THE ASPHALT CEMENTS IS CONTRARY TO WHAT WOULD BE EXPECTED ON THE BASIS OF ALL INFORMATION ACCUMULATED SO FAR BUT THE AGREEMENT IS EXCELLENT IF THE TEMPERATURE SUSCEPTIBILITIES OF THE ASPHALT CEMENTS ARE EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF THEIR PEN-VIS NUMBERS INSTEAD OF PENETRATION INDEX (PI) VALUES. THE PEN-VIS NUMBER OF A PAVING ASPHALT IS DETERMINED FROM ITS PENETRATION AT 77 F. AND FROM ITS VISCOSITY IN CENTISTOKES AT 275 F. BY A METHOD DESCRIBED IN THE APPENDIX. THE PEN-VIS NUMBERS OF THE ASPHALT CEMENTS RECOVERED FROM PAVEMENT SAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE NINE PAVEMENT TEST SECTIONS SHOW EITHER NO CHANGE OR A SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE AFTER NINE YEARS OF SERVICE. THE FOUR ANNUAL TRANSVERSE CRACK SURVEYS INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL YEARLY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TRANSVERSE CRACKS IN ALL PAVEMENT SECTIONS. IN ALL THREE TEST ROADS, THE NUMBER OF TRANSVERSE CRACKS INCREASED VERY MARKEDLY WITH A DECREASE IN THE PEN-VIS NUMBER OF THE ASPHALT CEMENT. AT THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -5 F. AT A PAVEMENT DEPTH OF 2 IN., THE PAVEMENT MODULUS OF STIFFNESS AFTER ONLY NINE YEARS OF SERVICE IS VERY NEARLY OR GREATLY EXCEEDS 1,000,000 PSI FOR ALL OF THE NINE PAVEMENT SECTIONS IN THE THREE TEST ROADS. A CHART IS OFFERED TO ENABLE ENGINEERS TO SELECT GRADES OF ASPHALT CEMENT THAT SHOULD ELIMINATE TRANSVERSE CRACKING DURING THE SERVICE LIFE OF THE PAVEMENT. THIS CHART INDICATES THAT IF TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING IS TO BE ELIMINATED IN ANY REGION WITH TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE IN THE LOCALITY WHERE THE THREE ONTARIO TEST ROADS ARE LOCATED, A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -5 F. AT A PAVEMENT DEPTH OF 2 IN., 100-120 PENETRATION ASPHALT SHOULD BE SELECTED IF ITS PEN-VIS NUMBER IS 0.0, WHILE 150-200 PENETRATION ASPHALT CEMENT SHOULD BE EMPLOYED IF ITS PEN-VIS NUMBER IS -1.5. THE HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH GRADING PAVING ASPHALTS BY VISCOSITY AT 140 F. IN COLDER CLIMATES ARE POINTED OUT. APART FROM TRANSVERSE CRACKING, NO DIFFERENCE IN PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS RAVELLING, RUTTING, ETC., COULD BE OBSERVED BETWEEN THE TEST SECTIONS IN THE THREE TEST ROADS. A DISCUSSION AND AUTHOR'S CLOSURE ARE INCLUDED WHICH DEAL WITH VARIOUS QUESTIONS ARISING FROM THIS INVESTIGATION.

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 424-93
  • Serial:
    • Volume: 41

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00211822
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 17 2002 12:00AM