Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

Current specifications require the removal of reinforcing bar contaminants that reduce bond prior to placing concrete. This study focused on the interactions of contaminant type, bar size, epoxy coating, concrete strength, and test method (beam and direct pullout). The majority of the beam tests showed the bond strength was not significantly affected, with certain exceptions. However, the direct pullout tests revealed a significant reduction of bond strength in most situations. Although the bond strength was still greater than that required by code, it is recommended that specifications for removal of contaminants should not be relaxed until further study is performed.

This paper reports on the monitoring and repair of a pilot field deployment of a glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) deck on a small steel girder bridge in the Washington State. Deck deflections were monitored periodically over a 10-month period and were found to increase significantly over that time. The GFRP deck is an adhesively bonded assembly of GFRP tubes and top and bottom plates. After 9 months of service, wearing surface cracking was observed, and upon closer inspection, the top GFRP plate was found to be delaminated from the tubes over a fairly large area. Deck deflections in the area of delamination were found to be considerably larger than those observed during previous monitoring in undamaged locations. A retrofit solution was employed where the top plate was reconnected to the tubes using screws coated with a two-part epoxy that mixed when they were driven. At the time of writing the retrofit was successful in reattaching the delaminated top plate.

Concrete culverts in trenches have been widely used in expressways. Problems frequently take place because of improperly estimated vertical earth pressures on culverts. Different codes have been used in China to estimate the design load on culverts. In this study, a full-scale experiment and FEM simulation were conducted to evaluate the variation of vertical earth pressures and soil arching in backfill and to examine the accuracy of the methods recommended by different design codes including the prevailing Chinese General Code for Design of Highway Bridges and Culverts based on the linear earth pressure theory. The measured vertical earth pressures from the experiment were compared with those from the current theoretical methods. The variations of foundation pressure and settlement were also analyzed. The FEM simulation investigated the key influencing factors on the vertical earth pressures including the height of the embankment fill, the width of the trench, the slope angle of the trench, the dimensions of the culvert, the properties of the backfill, and the elastic modulus of the foundation soil. This research reveals that soil arch formed when the backfill on the culvert reached a certain height, but it was unstable. The coefficient of the vertical earth pressure on the top of the culvert was significantly different from that recommended by the Chinese General Code for Design of Highway Bridges and Culverts.

This paper presents a detailed study to ascertain the response of a buried minor sewer pipeline consisting of three new manholes of 3.5- to 4-m deep and 89.7 m of 225-mm-diameter vitreous clay pipes to braced excavation ground movements. The pipeline and the manholes were supported on 6-m long, generally, of 65- to 75-mm-diameter Bakau (timber) piles embedded in 8- to 15-m-thick soft marine clay and peaty clay with an overconsolidation ratio of 1.2. The 34-m pipeline connecting two of the manholes ran parallel to a row of sheetpiles 9 m away. The sheetpiles formed one side of a strutted basement excavation about 9- to 10.5-m-deep. The excavation is part of an adjacent construction project. A recent oversite fill of 1.1 m has been placed to raise the site platform to avoid possible flooding throughout the area encompassing the pipeline and the adjacent construction project. Useful lessons which have been learnt from the study will be presented also.

Leakage of water distribution networks is the most common reason of undesirable losses of potable water. Problems associated with water main leaks pose growing concern around the globe. These problems include water and energy loss, in addition to the risk it poses to structural damage of adjacent properties. In current practice, not all water leaks can be detected in a timely and cost effective manner. This paper presents a study conducted for detection of water leaks in underground pipelines, and identification of their respective locations using thermography infrared camera. The paper describes the field work and the experimental protocol which were carried out over 2 years in three different locations in greater Montréal (Canada) area in order to investigate factors that affect the applicability and limitations of using IR camera in water leak detection. These factors beyond those studied in previous work carried out by American Water Works Association and National Research Council. The paper presents a model developed to determine approximate location of leaks in water mains. The developed model was then applied successfully to detect and locate leaks in water mains in fall and spring seasons. It failed, however, to detect leaks in the summer and winter due to high pavement temperature and the snow coverage, respectively.

This paper presents a study to determine the optimal rolling patterns for chip seals based on aggregate retention performance. Chip seal sections composed of single seals of granite 78M and CRS-2 emulsion are constructed using five different rolling patterns with two or three rollers. Both pneumatic tire and combination rollers are used in developing these patterns. Chip seal samples are obtained from the sections for laboratory testing. The aggregate retention performance is evaluated using the flip-over test, Vialit test, and the third-scale model mobile loading simulator. It is found that the time delay between aggregate spreading and rolling is an important parameter for the aggregate retention performance. The laboratory aggregate retention test results are used along with typical roller speeds and the maximum allowable time delay between aggregate spreading and rolling to develop optimal rolling patterns for two and three rollers.

A premature pavement overlay failure had occurred only 1 day after it was opened to traffic. Crescent-shaped cracks were intermittently spread over a section about 3 mi in length. Dynamic cone penetrometer results demonstrated that the slippage cracks were not linked to weak base or subgrade. Loss of overlays on structurally sound pavements due to poor bonding is an expensive error. A tack coat is considered a simple, relatively inexpensive, yet essential step in the pavement construction process. It is theorized that the ineffective bonding due to poor quality tack coat and/or inappropriate application rate is the primary factor that led to the slippage cracks. Other contributing factors include low asphalt content and high aging ratio that reduced the effectiveness of the bond. The aging ratios exceed the maximum allowable 3.5 specified. Based the investigation results, the contractor did remove and replace the top 50 mm hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay at his own expense. Although selection of proper tack coat materials and quantities is essential, there is a lack of proper construction quality control and quality assurance procedure to ensure appropriate surface preparation prior to application of a HMA overlay.

Cold in-place recycling (CIR) is one of the most effective methods to rehabilitate asphalt pavements. In fact, most CIR roads have performed well at low cost in Iowa since the first CIR road was constructed in 1986. However, some CIR roads have reached failures earlier than their expected design lives because there is no design standard for designing CIR roads with a limited amount of past performance information. Some of the most prominent problems seemed to have come from selecting CIR in areas where there are poor subgrades. Therefore, it is critical to collect CIR performance data along with falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data in order to develop performance models. The main purpose of this paper is to document that effort. The performance models were developed on the basis of historical data collected from CIR roads in Iowa. First, an inventory of CIR roads was created which includes construction information, subgrade and base characteristics, and traffic levels. In consideration of pavement age, level of traffic, and subgrade condition, 26 test sections were selected from the inventory of CIR roads and pavement surface distress surveys were conducted on these roads using an automated image collection system. Distress data were then compiled to compute pavement condition index (PCI) for each test section. FWD data were collected from each test section to determine its relative soil support condition. Finally, to determine their long-term performance, the PCI values were plotted against the pavement age for each group of pavements categorized by their soil support conditions and traffic levels. Overall, it can be concluded that the CIR roads in Iowa, all under traffic level of annual average daily traffic of 2,000, have performed very well and predicted to last up to 25 years before reaching the poor condition $\left(\text{PCI}=40\right)$ when the pavements are to be rehabilitated. The CIR roads with a good subgrade support, however, are predicted to last up to 35 years.

With a limited maintenance budget and unprecedented construction cost increases, many owner/agencies in the United States are beginning to rehabilitate existing distressed pavements. Cold in-place recycling (CIR) provides an economical rehabilitation method and has been widely used in the past 20 years. However, recycled roads have experienced inconsistent performance and that has hindered the application of CIR. The objective of this paper is to study the cause and effect relationships between factors, such as traffic loading, support condition, and aged engineering properties of the CIR materials, and pavement performance. Twenty-four roads in Iowa were examined through field and lab tests. Statistical analyzes show that, within the range of data in this study, better performance was observed on CIR roads with lower CIR modulus value and/or higher air voids.

This paper reports the rehabilitation of the historic St. Lourdes Church in Tiruchirappalli, India. The structure is a critical landmark and a significant representation of religious buildings in the area. Inspections of the Gothic style masonry church were completed in 1998, where distress and decay due to water damages were identified and repaired using lime-based materials. A subsequent inspection 10 years later indicated that remains a critical issue. This case study demonstrates the importance of rehabilitation of historic structures using appropriate construction techniques including possible alternative rehabilitation approaches to ensure the preservation of these structures.