TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING RELATED TO HARDNESS OF THE ASPHALT CEMENT

THREE PRINCIPAL FINDINGS ARE PRESENTED CONCERNING LOW TEMPERATURE TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING: (1) FIELD OBSERVATION, AND ANALYSIS OF PAVEMENT SAMPLES SHOW THAT IN COLD CLIMATES MOST TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING IS DUE TO LOW TEMPERATURES AND THE USE OF HARD ASPHALT CEMENTS, AND THAT THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION IS THE USE OF SOFTER GRADES OF ASPHALT CEMENTS, (2) THEORETICAL EVIDENCE IS PROVIDED THAT FULLY SUPPORTS THESE CONCLUSIONS FROM OBSERVATIONS OF PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD, AND (3) CONSIDERATION FOR LOW TEMPERATURE TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING INDICATES THAT THERE IS NO MORE JUSTIFICTION FOR GRADING ASPHALT CEMENTS BY VISCOSITY AT 140 DEGREES F TO FACILITATE HIGH TEMPERATURE CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS BUT COMPLETELY DISREGARDING THE DISASTROUS EFFECT THIS WOULD HAVE ON LOW TEMPERATURE PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE, THAN THERE IS TO GRADE ASPHALT CEMENTS BY PENETRATION AT 32 DEGREES F TO ELIMINATE VARIABILITY IN COLD WEATHER TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT CRACKING, BUT OVERLOOKING THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECT THIS WOULD HAVE ON HIGH TEMPERATURE CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS. CONTINUING TO GRADE ASPHALT CEMENTS BY PENETRATION OR VISCOSITY AT 77 DEGREES F PROVIDES A REASONABLE COMPROMISE BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREME PROPOSED GRADING METHODS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 132 Pp, 53 FIG, 13 TAB, 32 REF
• Authors:
  • Mcleod, N W
• Publication Date: 0

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Canadian Technical Asphalt Association, Proceeding
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: POLYSCIENCE PUBLICATIONS INC.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt cement; Grading (Earthwork); Hardness; Low temperature; Pavement cracking; Pendulum tests; Transverse cracking; Viscosity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Grading
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00211464
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 9 1970 12:00AM