Evaluation of Longitudinal Joint Construction Techniques for Asphalt Pavements in Tennessee
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 11
Abstract
Longitudinal joints between lanes of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements are commonly susceptible to moisture damage and other failures. In 2006, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) identified longitudinal joint failure as one of the major distresses for local HMA pavements. It was determined necessary to evaluate available practices and technologies to reduce longitudinal joint failure. This paper presents the results from a field project in Tennessee constructed with seven different longitudinal joint construction techniques. These techniques could be divided into three major categories: joint adhesives including an anionic emulsion and a polymerized emulsion commonly used by the TDOT, a hot-applied high-polymer rubber, and a high-polymer emulsion; joint sealers including a polymerized maltene emulsion and a polymerized agricultural oil; and infrared joint heater. Laboratory tests were conducted on the field cores taken from the test sections constructed with these techniques. Based on the different mechanisms of these techniques, the following laboratory tests were employed: air void content, permeability, indirect tensile (IDT) strength, and water absorption tests. Field cores were also scanned with the X-ray computed tomography to investigate the effect of infrared heating on air void distribution. The test results showed general consistency in the joint quality; i.e., the lower the air void content, the lower the permeability and the higher the IDT strength. The infrared heater exhibited the best effectiveness in improving joint quality among all the joint construction techniques used in this study.
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Acknowledgments
This study was sponsored by the TDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The writers would like to thank the TDOT engineers and staff for their valuable help with this study. Thanks also go to the Tennessee Road Builders Association for coordinating the selection of the joint products for the study.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 11 • November 2010
Pages: 1112 - 1121
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 23, 2009
Accepted: Apr 16, 2010
Published online: May 8, 2010
Published in print: Nov 2010
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