Concrete Pavement Joint Deterioration

Abstract

tributed to the dramatic increase in 1-day and 3-day strengths but also can contribute to higher amounts of CH in the concrete.• The sulfates also have increased to counteract set problems that can occur with finer cements and more readily available aluminates.A survey of concrete pavements across Indiana revealed that no pavements less than 40 years old from the two southern districts showed this distress, except in more recently placed patches. These districts not only experience a less harsh freeze-thaw (FT) environment but also use lower amounts of deicers. Other evidence from field and laboratory analysis of existing concrete pavements includes the following:• The pavement base drained well at the mid-panel of most pavements but was reduced at the joints for over half the pavements, with the most severe joint deterioration associated with the slowest drainage.• None of the concrete had a measured air void system that met all the criteria recommended for FT durable concrete, but the air void systems were better at the mid-panel than at the joints. Infilling and lining of the entrained air voids with ettringite and some Friedel's salt was more common near the joints and could account for the reduced air void system. The FT testing did not correlate directly with the air void parameters, but generally mid-panel samples did test as more durable than joints.• The presence of unhydrated cement grains suggested that the concrete at the joint face was not always fully cured.• One pavement section that did not have fly ash had worse deterioration than the panels nearby that had fly ash.• Calcium hydroxide was more noticeable in the concrete from joints with severe deterioration. Concrete Pavement Joint DeteriorationJoint transportation research program IntroductionConcrete pavements are an important part of our national infrastructure. In recent years the number of reported joints deteriorating prematurely in concrete pavements around Indiana has increased. Changes over the past 45 years in INDOT specifications, pavement materials and design, construction practices, and deicing materials were examined and related to the durability of concrete at the joints of existing pavements. Cores were retrieved and examined from the joints and mid-panel of 11 pavement sections that represented different materials, ages, construction, deicer exposure, and levels of deterioration, from non-deteriorated concrete to concrete with severe deterioration at the joints. FindingsSeveral variables were identified that influence the durability of concrete at the joints: use of fly ash, joint sealer type, saw cut configurations, water-to-cementitious ratio (w/cm), 7-day flexural strength acceptance criteria, minimum cement content, tie bar spacing and size, target percentage air, and minimum percentage air before failure.The physical properties and chemistry of cements have changed over the years. The fineness has increased for INDOT cements as well as cements used across the country.• The amount of C 3 S has increased, while the amount of...

Synthesis: Accelerating Implementation of Research Findings to Reduce Potential Concrete Pavement Joint Deterioration

“…The options listed there can be used either independently or in combination to address specific technical issues. CONTENTS (Whiting, Panchmatia, & Olek, 2016 Relative flexural strength of pastes with different w/cm exposed to 21.6% NaCl, 20% CaCl 2 , and 17.5% MgCl 2 solutions after a 50-5-50 uC thermal cycle, respectively 6…”

“…It has also been proposed that mechanical loading may play a role in damage at joints due to curling or shear from traffic, especially at early ages (Taylor et al, 2011). While the damage is widespread at ramps, intersections and closure pours, Wilson et al (2016) have suggested that this is more likely related to locations where contractors switch to the use of straight cement mixtures due to the potential to open the pavement to traffic at an earlier time. As such, there is not currently evidence that traffic shear is responsible for the damage at joints.…”

“…While absorption testing was able to show the benefits of sealers, differences were observed regarding the influence of sealer composition. (Whiting, Panchmatia, & Olek, 2016)…”

“…Research performed under two INDOT sponsored projects SPR-3016 (Weiss, 2015) and SPR-3506 (Whiting et al, 2016) looked at the drainage and/or the subbase materials at 60 core holes at 15 different pavement locations throughout Indiana. Figure 5.1 shows examples of good, slow and very poor drainage at the core holes.…”

“…In addition to good drainage at the joints and in the drainage layer, maintaining good drainage in the edge drains and underdrains is critical to keeping the pavement joints and base dry. As shown in Figure 5.3 not all the edge and under drains on INDOT highways are being properly constructed or maintained in order to take and keep the water away from the pavement structure (Whiting et al, 2016). AASHTO.…”