SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP SESSION ON RIGID PAVEMENTS--DENVER, COLORADO

This paper summarizes the work session on rigid pavements held at the 1973 Federal Highway Administration workshop on Water in Pavements in Denver, Colorado. Participants agreed that there are three prime defenses against the detrimental effects of water in the design, construction, and maintenance of concrete pavements: sealing, stronger materials, and providing adequate drainage. Discussion focused on three aspects: what is currently being practiced, what should be changed, and what are the risks involved in changing the current practice. Continuously reinforced concrete pavement construction is really an attempt to seal out the water. Membranes used as an attempt at sealing the base, subbase, and subgrade materials were discussed. It was suggested that engineers do a better job of designing joints and that they use closer joint spacing with proper shape factors in the joint sealer and proper sealant materials. The greatest structural advance with regard to rigid pavements can be to render the materials beneath the slab nonerosive. One novel suggestion, applicable in the construction of transverse jointed concrete pavements, was that drains be installed immediately under the joints and along the edges--not a complete blanket. In frost areas and areas of swelling clays, it is imperative that the water not be allowed to reach the subgrade. It was concluded that the immediate solution to water problems in rigid pavements is a combination of better joint and crack sealing and better drainage.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented at a 1973 workshop on Water in Pavements sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, held in Denver, Colorado.
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Research, Development, Engineering and Highway Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Brown, J L
• Conference:
  • Water in Pavements Workshop--Detailed Report--1973
• Publication Date: 1973

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 373-376

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Clay soils; Continuously reinforced concrete pavements; Drainage; Drains; Erosion control; Frost; Joint sealers; Moisture barriers; Pavement cracking; Pavement design; Pavement joints; Pavement maintenance; Pavements; Rigid pavements; Road construction; Sealing (Technology); Spacing; Strength of materials; Subdrains; Subgrade (Pavements); Swelling soils; Water; Workshops
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces; I26: Water Run-off - Freeze-thaw;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00792292
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 8 2000 12:00AM