SEALERS FOR LONGITUDINAL JOINTS

IN 1966, A RIGID PAVEMENT FIELD TEST AREA WAS ESTABLISHED TO DETERMINE THE MOST ECONOMICAL SEALING MATERIAL FOR LONGITUDINAL PAVEMENT JOINTS. THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF A NUMBER OF LIQUID SEALERS AND AN EXPERIMENTAL PREFORMED NEOPRENE WAS USED AS THE CONTROL. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE PERFORMANCE OF THE LIQUIDS IN FORMED LONGITUDINAL JOINTS, AS COMPARED WITH SAWED JOINTS. SEVERAL IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS ARE: (1) IF LONGITUDINAL JOINTS ARE SAWED, PREFORMED COMPRESSION SEALS APPEAR TO GIVE THE BEST OVERALL SERVICE AND IN THE LONG RUN MAY BE THE MOST ECONOMICAL (DESPITE THEIR INITIAL COST), SINCE THEY SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DETERIORATION AFTER 4-1/2 YEARS OF SERVICE. (2) THE BEST OVERALL LIQUID SEAL PERFORMANCE IN SAWED JOINTS WAS ACHIEVED BY A POLYURETHANE. THE TWO RUBBER ASPHALTS SEALED THE SAWED JOINT WELL, BUT WERE SUSCEPTIBLE TO INFILTRATION OF INCOMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL. (3) SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE WAS ACHIEVED IN FORMED JOINTS BY THE POLYURETHANE, POLYSULFIED, AND HOT-POURED RUBBER-ASPHALT SEALERS. LONGITUDINAL JOINTS IN RIGID PAVEMENTS CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE (SPALL) WITH PASSAGE OF TIME. LIQUID SEALERS, THEREFORE, WOULD BE MORE SUITED FOR MAINTENANCE PURPOSES THAN PREFORMED SEALERS, SINCE A UNIFORM JOINT WIDTH IS NOT NECESSARY. THIS IS ALSO TRUE FOR LONGITUDINAL JOINTS CREATED WHEN ADDITIONAL LANES ARE ADDED TO AN EXISTING PAVEMENT. IN ADDITION, LIQUIDS PROVIDE A LOWER INITIAL MATERIALS COSTS AND REDUCED EXPENSE FOR JOINT REPAIR. A NUMBER OF ECONOMICAL LIQUID SEALERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE THAT OFFER SATISFACTORY SERVICE LIFE. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  New York State Department of Transportation

  1220 Washington Avenue
  Albany, NY  United States  12232
• Authors:
  • Mccarty, W
  • Brewster, D R
  • Hiss, J G
• Publication Date: 1972-4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deterioration; Economics; Liquids; Longitudinal joints; Polyurethane resins; Rigid pavements; Sawed joints; Seals (Devices); Securing and joining equipment; Service life
• Subject Areas: Design; Economics; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215970
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: Study No 39-1,, RR 4
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 15 2003 12:00AM