Asphalt 

Pavement Distress Review
Wisconsin APA Conference
December 1, 2010
 Presentation Outline
• Longitudinal joints
• Segregation
• Dry Superpave mixtures
• Roller checking
• WMA & RAP 
 Bad Longitudinal Joints
• Causes
– Low density at edge of mat
– Segregation
– Permeability
– Freeze‐thaw

Which lane was paved first?

 The following 14 slides on 
Longitudinal Joints are courtesy of 
Carlos Rosenberger
Field Engineer
Asphalt Institute
 First  Pass  Straight  Must  Be  Straight

Stringline Skip Paint                                     Reference
Tack  Coat
Full width of mat to minimize 
movement of unsupported edge
 Vibratory  Screed 

Always be
ON
 Auger
Uniform  Head  of  Material Across 
the Entire Screed

Carry Material Within 
12 ‐ 18 inches of the 
End Gate 
 END  GATE

Seated on the Existing Surface
Paver on Automatic      w/       Joint Matcher
Notched Wedge  +  Compaction

Wedge  w/ vibratory compactor
 Rolling the Unsupported Edge

Overhang the Edge
Quality  Control,  Monitor  Joint  Density
 Tack the Wedge
Emulsion 

Proprietary Joint Adhesive
 Overlap the Existing Lane
Overlap 1.0 to 1.5‐inches

Final overlap height 0.1

Sufficient Depth on 2nd lane
Lute the Longitudinal Joint

This lute person is
doing a great job
 Rolling  the  Supported  Edge

Stay off the Joint with 1st Pass
to avoid Bridging,
but, be on the lookout for 
stress cracks that may 
develop along the edge of 
the drum
Quality Control and Acceptance of Joint Density

6” Core

Density  Gauge
Segregation at a Longitudinal Joint
End‐of‐Load Segregation

• Causes
– Mix segregation...
• In silo
• Loading of trucks
• In the paver
– Temperature 
segregation
21
Improper Truck Loading

22
Proper Truck Loading

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Infrared Images of End of Loads
 Thermal Segregation Effects
• Reduced density
• Reduced fatigue life (50%‐WSDOT)
• Reduced ride quality
• Increased susceptibility to moisture damage
• Increased susceptibility to raveling
• Increased susceptibility to pot holes
• Increased need for maintenance funding
PaveCool
Infrared Sensor Bar
Remixing Transfer Device
 Thermal Segregation ‐ Use of MTV
“The results show that cooler areas in the mat can result
in higher air voids and drastically reduced pavement life.
According to the fatigue test results, the mix compacted at
200oF would have approximately 10 percent of the life of
the mix that was compacted at 300oF.” WS Study-2001

“A substantial reduction in thermal segregation was

observed on projects paved with remixing MTVs.” CT
study-2006
Consistent Haul Time

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5
4
3
2
1
 Paver Stopped 44% of Time
(2 stops exceeded 20 minutes)

Based on 2 ½ hr observation
Extendable Screeds
Temperature Effect of Paver Stop

•185°F

•266°F
Screed Marks
Conventional Paver Design

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 Check Cracks

• “Tender” Mix
• Roller operating too fast
• Steep Grades
• Weak underlying support
 “Dry” Superpave Mixes
• “dry” implies low asphalt content
• Mix design economics drives toward lowest asphalt 
content
• Voids in Mineral Aggregate, VFA criteria sets lower 
limit
• Ndesign influences gradation selection: coarse or fine
• Finer mixes: easier to compact, less permeable, but 
higher asphalt content
 NCAT Pavement Test Track

• Fine and Coarse Superpave mixes perform similarly
• Lowering Ndesign is O.K.
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 NCAT Pavement Test Track
• 1.7 mile oval asphalt track
• 45 experimental test sections, each 200 ft. long
• Test sections are sponsored by highway agencies and 
businesses to evaluate specific materials and/or pavement 
design strategies
• Realistic traffic applies 10 million ESALs in two years
• Currently 58% complete with the 4th cycle

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 Big Pay Offs for Track Research
• Revised Layer Coefficient for Pavement Design
– 18% reduction in thickness for new pavements
• Good performance of High‐RAP sections. Softer 
virgin binder results in slightly less texture change
• Validation of Perpetual Pavement Design
– Field Endurance Limit: 90th percentile strain of 250 µε
 Test Track Research Findings
• Modified binders reduce rutting around 50%
• Criteria for Lab Performance Tests
– Air Voids
– Asphalt Pavement Analyzer
– Flow Number
– Top‐Down Cracking

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 Test Track Research Findings
• Aggregate specification assessments
– Elimination of Restricted Zone
– F&E requirements for SMA & OGFC
– Gravel performs well in SMA & OGFC
– Higher LA abrasion aggregates in SMA & Superpave
– Polishing prone aggregates disqualified for surfaces
• Porous Friction Course (OGFC) benefits
– Noise and spray reduction
– Dual layer
– Structural contribution
 Test Track Research Findings
• Mechanistic pavement models validated and 
calibrated 
– Measured vs. predicted HMA tensile stresses 
– Transfer functions for strain damage
– Speed vs strain / load pulse 
– Compressive stresses in unbound layers
– Pavement temperature models
– Seasonal effects on pavement layers
– Traffic wander
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The NCAT Test Track
The 4th Cycle
•46
•47
Strain Instrumentation and 
Wireless Data Acquisition
Perpetual Pavement Design

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2009 Group Experiment

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Group Experiment – High RAP (N10 & N11)

Control HMA Section

50% RAP Section

50% RAP WMA Section
Group Experiment – Warm Mix (S10 & S11)

Foamed WMA Section

Control HMA Section

Additive WMA Section
Group Experiment – OGFC (S8)

Section w/ OGFC Surface

Control HMA Section
Thiopave® (N5 and N6)

7” Thiopave Section

Control HMA Section

9” Thiopave Section
www.pavetrack.com
Thank You
 Sponsorship
• Individual Sections (per section)
– Continue Traffic $55k/yr x 3 yrs
– Continue Traffic – Structural $70k/yr x 3 yrs
– Surface Mix Performance $120k/yr x 3 yrs
– Structural Section $180k/yr x 3 yrs
• Six‐Section Group Experiment $3.24 million
– Cost divided equally among sponsors
– For 6 sponsors $180k/yr x 3 yrs
– For 10 sponsors $108k/yr x 3 yrs 
– For 15 sponsors $  72k/yr x 3 yrs

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