BITUMINOUS CONCRETE PAVEMENT INVENTORY IN MAINE CORRELATED TO AASHO ROAD TEST RESULTS

A VISUAL INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED ON ALL BITUMINOUS CONCRETE SURFACE ROADS IN THE STATE OF MAINE IN 1960. TEN SPECIFIC FEATURES SUCH AS LONGITUDINAL CRACKING, ALLIGATOR CRACKING, RUTTING, DISTORTION, SURFACE DETERIORATION, ETC., WERE MEASURED BY MEANS OF A QUALITATIVE RATING SYSTEM. THESE FEATURES WERE CAREFULLY WEIGHTED IN RESPECT TO THEIR INFLUENCE UPON EITHER THE PAVEMENT OR THE BASE PERFORMANCE. FROM THIS WORK EACH ROAD WAS CLASSIFIED AS TO ITS PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE, BASE PERFORMANCE, OR OVER-ALL PERFORMANCE. A STRUCTURAL NOMOGRAPH WAS DEVISED THAT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE EFFECTS OF TRAFFIC, TIME AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. FIELD OBSERVATIONS AT THE TIME OF THE FIELD SURVEY INDICATED A 24-INCH PAVEMENT STRUCTURE TO BE LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO ROUGHNESS CAUSED BY FROST ACTION THAN THE 18- INCH PAVEMENT STRUCTURES. THE FIRST SIGN OF PAVEMENT DISTRESS IN NEARLY EVERY CASE OCCURED IN A CUT SECTION. DISTRESS WAS PARTICULARLY EVIDENT IN BOX SECTIONS OF THE ROADWAY. THIS DISTRESS MAY BE CAUSED EITHER BY POOR DRAINAGE OR THE DIFFERENCE IN COMPACTION IN THE SUB-BASE AND SUB- GRADE WHEN GOING FROM FILL TO CUT SECTIONS. A RESURFACED ROAD IS SUPERIOR TO A CONSTRUCTED ROAD SINCE IT HAS A HIGHER STRUCTURAL NUMBER AND TRAFFIC HAS HAD TIME TO ADJUST THE ORIGINAL ROADBED INTO ITS NATURAL POSITION. STAGE CONSTRUCTION IS RECOMMENDED WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THE AASHO ROAD TESTS CONCEPTS AND ITS RESULTS APPEAR TO BE APPLICABLE TO CONDITIONS IN MAINE EXCEPT FOR THE STRUCTURAL NUMBER CONCEPT. THIS CONCEPT REQUIRED A MODIFICATION IN ORDER TO CONFINE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF STRUCTURAL NUMBER VALUES TO THE UPPERMOST PORTION OF THE ROADWAY. THE STRUCTURAL NOMOGRAPH INDICATES THAT A CONSTRUCTED BLACK BASE ROAD IS CHEAP IN VIEW OF THE CONSIDERABLE INCREASE IN AXLE APPLICATIONS OVER THE PERFORMANCE OF GRAVEL BASE ROADS. THIS INDICATES THAT A ROAD WITH A BLACK BASE COSTING 4 TIMES THE PRICE OF GRAVEL BASE IS JUSTIFIED BECAUSE IT CAN HANDLE 8-10 TIMES THE TRAFFIC OF A GRAVEL BASE ROAD.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 34, pp 309-355, 24 FIG, 9 TAB, 4 REF, 2 APP
• Authors:
  • Rand, D
• Conference:
  • Assoc Asphalt Paving Technol Proc
• Publication Date: 1965-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alligator cracking; Asphalt concrete; Bituminous aggregates; Bituminous pavements; Compaction; Construction management; Defects; Distortion (Structures); Evaluation; Longitudinal cracking; Nomographs; Pavement distress; Pavement performance; Pavements; Plastic deformation; Resurfacing; Structural analysis; Subbase (Pavements); Subgrade (Pavements); Surface drainage
• Identifier Terms: AASHO Road Test
• Uncontrolled Terms: Stage construction; Subbase
• Old TRIS Terms: Alligatoring; Distortion; Highway drainage; Test results
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00210816
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 24 1994 12:00AM