EVALUATION OF PAVEMENT JOINT AND CRACK SEALING MATERIALS AND PRACTICES

CURRENT STATE OF THE KNOWLEDGE IS PRESENTED WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF HIGHWAY JOINT AND CRACK SEALING MATERIALS AND METHODS. THE JOINTS AND CRACKS IN PAVEMENTS ARE SEALED TO PREVENT DIRT, STONES, AND WATER FROM ENTERING THESE OPENINGS. WATER AND INCOMPRESSIBLE SOLIDS IN THE JOINT INHIBIT NORMAL PAVEMENT MOVEMENT AND CAUSE EXTENSIVE PAVEMENT DAMAGE. THE DEMANDS MADE ON THE SEALANT MATERIAL DEPEND ON PAVEMENT BEHAVIOR. THE MOVEMENT OF THE PAVEMENT IS A FUNCTION OF JOINT SPACING, JOINT WIDTH, TEMPERATURE RANGE, MOISTURE CONTENT, SUBBASE TYPE, AND TRAFFIC VOLUME. AT PRESENT, 68 PERCENT OF THE STATES AND TURNPIKES SURVEYED PERMIT USE OF HOT-POURED ASPHALTIC SEALANTS, 10 PERCENT PERMIT USE OF COLD-POURED ELASTOMERS, AND 10 PERCENT PERMIT USE OF PREFORMED COMPRESSION SEALS. MANY OF THE SEALANT FAILURES CAN BETRACED TO INADEQUATE SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, POOR DESIGN, SPALLING CONCRETE, OR IMPROPER INSTALLATION. THE CURRENT SPECIFICATIONS FOR HIGHWAY SEALANTS GENERALLY CONTAIN A BOND-EXTENSION TEST AS THE ONLY PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT. MORE TESTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THE SPECIFICATIONS EFFECTIVE. AN ADHESION TEST, A COMPRESSION-EXTENSION CYCLE, AN INCREMENTAL EXTENSION TEST, AND A STRESS-RELAXATION REQUIREMENT SHOULD ALL BE INVESTIGATED. RESEARCH IS RECOMMENDED IN PAVEMENT MOVEMENT, SKEWED JOINTS, CRACK SEALING, AND EACH OF THE BASIC MATERIAL TYPES.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_38.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00775614
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 38, 40 PP, 20 FIG, 8 TAB, 259 REF, 2 APP. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Cook, J P
  • Lewis, R M
• Publication Date: 1967

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Serial:
  • NCHRP Report
  • Issue Number: 38
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0077-5614

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt; Compression; Cracking; Elastomers; Highways; Joint sealers; Joint sealing; Joints; Moisture content; Motion; Pavements; Performance based specifications; Performance tests; Reviews; Sealing compounds; Spacing; Specifications; Subbase materials; Temperature gradients; Traffic volume; Width
• Old TRIS Terms: Joint
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00216237
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 20 1994 12:00AM