Field Performance of Concrete Pavement Joints Protected by Silane Sealer: Case Study
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35, Issue 6
Abstract
Penetrating sealers have been applied to some concrete pavement joints to reduce moisture movement and provide additional durability in Wisconsin since 1999. In these projects, contractors were asked to first pressure-wash all saw slurry from sawed joints and allow them to dry thoroughly, then apply a silane sealer directly to the interior of the sawed joint. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of penetrating sealer in protecting pavement joints through field investigation of three projects in Wisconsin. Site visit surveys along with sample evaluation of field cores were completed. Although there was no visual detection of the presence of sealers in in-service pavements, laboratory tests proved the presence and functionality through contact angle, absorption, and penetration depth. The depth of penetration ranged from 1.46 to 11.75 mm, with an average of 5.14 mm. Penetration was correlated with concrete strength where less penetration was associated with high-performance concrete. When compared with the samples without sealer, more than half of the joints with sealer were still performing better in terms of contact angle and absorption after 8.2 years of service.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This study was conducted under Wisconsin Highway Research Program (WHRP) 0092-18-01. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Project Oversight Committee for their valuable guidance and help. A special thanks to the Pavement Data Unit at WisDOT for providing historical pavement performance data and the Subsurface Exploration Unit at WisDOT for collecting core samples. Contributions from research assistant Justin Mahlberg are also acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35 • Issue 6 • December 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 24, 2021
Accepted: Jul 28, 2021
Published online: Sep 18, 2021
Published in print: Dec 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 18, 2022
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