REHABILITATION AND EVALUATION OF DISTRESSED PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT

Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavements in the northern part of Wisconsin have shown premature distress, in a form of paste deterioration at transverse and longitudinal cracks and joints. This distress, which is linked to lack of freeze thaw durability, is in the form of U-shaped deterioration which starts from the top of the slab and progresses downward into the matrix. To find an immediate solution to the premature damage to the PCC, in 1992 a task force was convened to look at: (1) the cause of the distress; (2) how to prevent it in the future; and (3) various alternatives for maintaining and rehabilitating these pavements. This report discusses the preventive maintenance and rehabilitation techniques applied. The PCC pavement along USH 8 in Price County was chosen for the study. Alternative rehabilitation techniques which appeared feasible were recommended for field investigation. The purpose of the study was to determine the most successful preventive maintenance and rehabilitation technique for the prematurely distressed PCC pavement. Different treatments were applied in 1993 to the existing PCC pavement prior to being overlaid by various thicknesses of Asphaltic Concrete (AC) pavement. Pavement Distress Index (PDI), International Roughness Index (IRI) and rut measurements were obtained each year from each 760 m test section constructed in 1993. In general, most of the alternative rehabilitation techniques so far have performed satisfactorily, and much better than the control section. In the control section, the existing PCC pavement was overlaid with 37.5 mm AC. No cleaning or sealing was done to the cracks and joints. This section has distress much higher than other test sections indicating that some form of surface treatment is required prior to overlay. At this time, thickness of the overlay seems to have a more contributing effect on the pavement performance than the type of treatment applied to the existing PCC pavement. Overlay thicknesses of 75 mm and above performed best; however, the study could not conclude that overlay thicknesses greater than 75 mm are beneficial. Test section I, which involved cracked and seated existing PCC overlaid with 75 mm AC, performed best when distress, ride, rut and cost were considered. It is therefore the preferred option at this time for rehabilitating this type of distressed pavement.

• Corporate Authors:

  Wisconsin Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Highway Construction, 3502 Kinsman Boulevard
  Madison, WI  United States  53704

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Okpala, D
• Publication Date: 1997-6-25

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 23 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt concrete; Concrete pavements; Cost effectiveness; Crack and seat treatment; Defects; Deterioration; Driver rehabilitation; Freeze thaw durability; Longitudinal cracking; Longitudinal joints; Overlays (Pavements); Pavement distress; Pavements; Preventive maintenance; Ride quality; Roughness; Rutting; Surface treating; Test sections; Thickness; Transverse cracking; Transverse joints
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rehabilitation; Surface treatments
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00739006
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: WI-05-97, Res Study #92-05, Interim Report
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 29 1997 12:00AM