Transport Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Volume 168 Issue TR3 Transport 168 June 2015 Issue TR3
Pages 231–238 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/tran.12.00058
Serviceability and structural performance of Paper 1200058
asphalt overlays Received 23/06/2012 Accepted 22/10/2013
Published online 23/01/2014
Cülfik Keywords: bitumen & tar/field testing & monitoring/pavement design

ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Serviceability and structural

performance of asphalt overlays
Mehmet Sait Cülfik PhD
Secretary General, BEBKA Development Agency, Bursa, Turkey

The serviceability and structural performance of pre-constructed thin asphalt overlays, laid on an existing concrete
base, were tested and the correlation between them was observed. Based on the results of present serviceability
index readings, the change in serviceability of different types of asphalt concrete was observed and a statistical test
was conducted to see if there was a significant change in the present serviceability index of each highway test
section. Two present serviceability index measurements and three visual pavement condition surveys were conducted
on eastbound and westbound test sections on IH-20 in Atlanta, USA. The results from field tests conducted on thin
(100 mm) asphalt concrete overlays on Portland cement concrete pavements indicated that the change in present
serviceability index of asphalt concrete is affected by the type of mixture and the aggregate used in the design and
the initial condition of the concrete base. A high correlation between structural performance and the serviceability of
thin asphalt concrete overlays was observed.

Notation serviceability index (PSI), which is the performance measure

di difference between the ith observed values from the used in this study.
two populations
mD difference between group means The PSI was developed as a result of AASHTO road tests in
P-value area under the t-distribution curve for t , t-statistics 1960. It is calculated for flexible pavements based on observa-
S 2D variability of groups tions of rut depth (RD), slope variance (SV) and extent of
t-statistic ratio of difference between group means and cracking (C) and patching (P) (in ft2 per 1000 ft2 (1 ft2 ¼
variability of groups 929 cm2 ) using (Bednar, 1989)
tÆ critical value of the t-distribution at Æ significance
Æ level of significance PSI ¼ 5:03  1:91log10 (1 þ SV)

1:  1:38RD2  0:01(C þ P)0:5

1. Introduction
A central principle of the design methodology of the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO, 1993) is the relationship between serviceability and
performance (Carey and Irick, 1960). There are three accepted
measures of pavement performance – safety, structural perform-
ance and functional performance (serviceability). Safety is most
commonly measured in terms of the frictional characteristics of a
pavement. Structural performance is a measure of the pavement’s
ability to resist deformation under traffic loads. It is most
commonly measured in terms of distress such as cracking or
rutting. Serviceability is a measure of the pavement’s ability to
serve users over time. It is usually measured in terms of the
roughness or ride quality of the pavement surface (Hand et al.,
1999). Serviceability is the most commonly modelled measure
and this is partially attributable to the fact that most network
performance measurement systems in use today are designed to
measure pavement functional condition. This is achieved through
the use of a previously calibrated performance index formula to
weigh each of the measured distress modes. One of the most
widely used functional performance indicators is the present
The index has a range from 0 to 5, with 0 being the worst and 5
the best serviceability performance. As can be seen in Equation
1, the PSI is driven primarily by the slope variance, which
represents pavement roughness, with the other factors providing
only small contributions.
Among the various options for rigid pavement restoration works,
the construction of a hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay over an
existing concrete pavement is considered to be the most common
(PCS, 1991; Timm and Warren, 2004). Thin asphalt concrete
(AC) overlays have been proven to be a cost-effective means to
extend pavement service life (Chou et al., 2008), with benefits
including improved ride quality and pavement surface condition.
Thin asphalt overlays, however, are effective only when placed in
accordance with the pavement preservation philosophy that
requires the application to be before the pavement has reached a
critical distress level (Newcomb, 2009).
Thin asphalt overlays are expected to increase service life by 10

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 Transport
Volume 168 Issue TR3
years for asphalt pavements and 6–10 years for concrete or
composite pavements (Newcomb, 2009). Trevino et al. (2004)
studied the applicability of thin asphalt overlays on continuously
reinforced concrete pavements. They attributed the increase in
service life to a reduction in dynamic impact loading as a result
of the overlay. However, this benefit is only redeemable if timely
application is carried out. An AC overlay is also effective in
reducing the noise that is generated at the road and vehicle tyre
interface; pavement serviceability and skid resistance are consid-
erably improved and rutting distress is effectively corrected
(Huddleston, 2009).
Thin asphalt overlays (less than 5 in (12.7 cm) thick) only improve
functional performance and in no way impact the structural load-
carrying capacity of the pavement, either positively or negatively.
It is thus essential to use an overlay only on a structurally sound
pavement, otherwise the benefits are lost (Trevino et al., 2004).
Before application, any distress in the pavement should be
corrected and all cracks should be sealed (Newcomb, 2009). In
the case of an excessively cracked and rough surface, milling
should be considered (Newcomb, 2009). If not repaired, cracks
may reflect through the asphalt overlay, thus defeating its very
purpose (Trevino et al., 2004). The term given to this process is
‘reflection cracking’ and it results in a significant reduction in
pavement serviceability (Ceylan et al., 2008). The movement of a
Portland cement concrete pavement (caused by dynamic traffic
loading or thermally induced expansions and contractions, or
both) causes excessively high strains to develop at the bottom of
the HMA overlay above the joints and cracks of the pavement;
this leads to progression of the crack upwards, resulting in
reflection (or reflective) cracking (Johnson and Freeman, 2002).
In climates such as Wisconsin, USA, initial reflection cracks often
appear within a year or two (Makowski et al., 2005). Debonding
is also a common problem with overlays (Trevino et al., 2004).
Aggregate properties are critical to thin asphalt overlay perform-
ance. Aggregates can greatly affect the bond strength in a mixture
depending on its susceptibility to moisture. The aggregate surface
chemistry and the presence of clay fines are also important
factors affecting the adhesion between aggregate and asphalt
Beginning
of project
station 1135⫹00
Weight-in-motion
Westbound
3 8
20
6 9
3251
Weight-in-motion
Figure 1. Layout of test sections
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Serviceability and structural performance
of asphalt overlays
Cülfik
binder. The asphalt binder can influence both the adhesion
between itself and the aggregate, and cohesion of the asphalt.
Adhesion is influenced by the chemistry of the asphalt and the
stiffness of the binder. The cohesive strength of an asphalt matrix
in the presence of moisture is also influenced by the chemical
nature of the binder and processing techniques (Little and Jones,
2003).
The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation
between structural performance and serviceability of AC layers of
different highway test sections with different mix designs or
aggregates.
2. Experimental design
2.1 Test sections
In total, nine different test sections on the eastbound and
westbound IH-20 in Atlanta, USA were considered. Each test
section had a different mix design or aggregate type. Three
different mix designs (CMBH-C, type C and Superpave) and
three different aggregates types (quartzite, gravel and sandstone)
were combined, resulting in a total of nine mix designs. For all
test sections, the thickness of the asphalt overlay, laid on an
existing concrete base, was 100 mm. The location of the test
sections is shown in Figure 1. The section names and properties
of the eastbound and westbound lanes are listed in Table 1.
2.2 Materials
Table 2 shows the aggregate type and surface mixes for the nine
sections considered in this study. A PG 76-22 was used for all
nine mix designs prepared for this project. A type B base course
was used as a base for all AC overlays in all sections. The milled
concrete pavement was overlaid with this 5.1 cm thick type B
base course. The base course was designed as a mixture of
90% limestone from Hanson, TX and 10% field sand from
Marshall, TX.
2.3 Mix designs
Three 12.5 mm Superpave mixes, three CMHB-C mixes, three type
C mixes and one type B base course were designed for this project.
End
of N
project
43
5 2
20
1 4 7
Eastbound
 Transport Serviceability and structural performance
Volume 168 Issue TR3 of asphalt overlays
Cülfik

Sandstone
Section Station numbers Mixture type Aggregate
100
1 1218–1245 Superpave Gravel Quartzite

Cumulative pass: %
2 1278–1321 Superpave Sandstone 80
3 1135–1188 Superpave Quartzite
Siliceous gravel
4 1245–1285 CMHB-C Gravel 60
5 1235–1278 CMHB-C Sandstone
6 1135–1185 CMHB-C Quartzite 40
7 1285–1321 Type C Gravel
20
8 1193–1235 Type C Sandstone
9 1190–1218 Type C Quartzite
0
0·075 0·15 0·3 0·6 1·18 2·36 4·75 9·5 12·5 19
Table 1. Test sections
Sieve size: mm

Figure 2. Aggregate gradations for Superpave mixes

12.5 mm CMHB-C Type C Total

Superpave (voids filled with asphalt) specification was set between 65 and
75%. At the initial number of gyrations, the densification
Gravel 1 1 1 3
requirement is a maximum of 89.0%; at the maximum number of
Quartzite 1 1 1 3
gyrations, the maximum densification requirement is 98.0%.
Sandstone 1 1 1 3
Acceptable dust portion values are between 0.6 and 1.2 for all
Total 3 3 3
Superpave mixes. All three mixes used in this study satisfied
Table 2. Aggregates used for different surface mix designs these requirements.

2.3.2 CMHB-C mixes

The three CMHB-C mixes were made of
For each Superpave mix design, three trial blends were attempted.
These trial blends were evaluated by compacting specimens and j 79% siliceous gravel, 20% igneous screenings and 1% lime,
determining the volumetric properties of each trial blend. Accep- with a DAB content of 4.7%
table trial blends were selected for each Superpave mix design. j 87% quartzite, 12% igneous screenings and 1% lime; DAB
After the selection of trial blends, specimens were compacted at content of 4.8%
three different asphalt contents. Volumetric properties were calcu- j 87% sandstone, 12% igneous screenings and 1% lime; DAB
lated at the design number of gyrations. Based on the estimated content of 4.8%.
relations between asphalt content and volumetric properties, the
design asphalt contents were established at 4% air voids. Figure 3 shows the aggregate gradations for these mixes. The
level of air voids at design was 3.5% for the CMHB-C mixes.
2.3.1 Superpave mixes
Three Superpave mixes were studied
Quartzite
j 67% siliceous gravel, 32% limestone screenings and 1% 100
Sandstone
Cumulative pass: %

lime; the design asphalt binder (DAB) content for this mix
80
was 5.0%
Siliceous gravel
j 91% sandstone, 8% igneous screenings and 1% lime, with
60
DAB content of 5.1%
j 89% quartzite, 10% igneous screenings and 1% lime, with 40
DAB content of 5.1%.
20
Each Superpave mix designs’ gradations falls below the Super-
pave restricted zone. The aggregate gradations for these mixes 0
are shown in Figure 2. #200 #80 #40 #10 #4 3/8⬙ 5/8⬙ 7/8⬙
Sieve size

In keeping with standard Superpave design requirements, the Figure 3. Aggregate gradations for CMHB-C mixes
12.5 mm size mandated a minimum VMA (voids in mineral (1/80 ¼ 3.175 mm)
aggregate) of 14%. Assuming a standard traffic level, the VFA

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 Transport Serviceability and structural performance
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Cülfik

2.3.3 Type C mixes severity of different types of distress as explained in the Strategic
Aggregate gradations for type C mixes are shown in Figure 4. Highway Research Program (SHRP) distress identification man-
The three types used are ual (Hawks et al., 1993).

j 61% siliceous gravel, 30% limestone screenings, 8% igneous
screenings and 1% lime; the DAB content for this mix was
4.4%
j 91% quartzite, 8% igneous screenings and 1% lime; DAB
content of 4.6%
j 99% sandstone and 1% lime; DAB content of 4.5%.
3. Visual condition survey and PSI
measurements
Three visual condition surveys were conducted. The first was
carried out on the concrete base, after milling and before
placement of the asphalt overlay. The second and third surveys
were conducted on the new asphalt overlay after 1 and 11 months.
The surveys included the collection of general information on the
Siliceous gravel
100
Cumulative pass: %
On both the eastbound and westbound lanes, PSI values were
estimated for the inside and outside lanes separately. PSI values
obtained just after construction of the new asphalt overlay (PSI-
Fin) and PSI values obtained 11 months after (PSI-Nov02) are
compared for each test section separately. The data were collected
with high-speed PSI measurements using two lasers, one on each
wheel path, and an accelerometer. The lasers allowed calculation
of the profile of the longitudinal sections on each wheel path and
the PSI values were then calculated from these data.
3.1 Visual pavement condition survey results
Table 3 shows the number of transverse cracks observed on the
AC overlay after 1 and 11 months, classified as low, moderate
and high transverse cracks as defined in the SHRP distress
identification manual (Hawks et al., 1993). Table 3 clearly shows
that there were no cracks on the newly placed AC overlay and the
number of cracks increased with time. Table 4 shows the existing
cracks on the concrete base after milling and before the new AC

Quartzite
80 layer was placed. In addition to some patching, there were low
Sandstone and moderate transverse cracks on the concrete base.
60
Figure 5 shows the number of transverse cracks on the AC
40
overlay. In all sections apart from sections 3 and 5, the number of
20 cracks increased between the second and the third set of readings.
After 1 month, the best performance in terms of structural
0 performance was observed in section 3 (Superpave with quartzite
#200 #80 #40 #10 #4 3/8⬙ 5/8⬙ 7/8⬙ aggregate) where no cracking was observed. The aggregate type
Sieve size
used in each section is also shown in Figure 5 (sections 2, 5 and
Figure 4. Aggregate gradations for type C mixes 8, sandstone; sections 3, 6 and 9, quartzite; sections 1, 4 and 7,
(1/80 ¼ 3.175 mm) gravel). The asphalt sections containing sandstone showed the
highest number of cracks and the lowest number of cracks

Section Number of transverse cracks

Initial After 1 month After 11 months

Low Moderate High Total Low Moderate High Total

2 0 2 2 0 4 1 5 2 8
5 0 2 1 0 3 1 1 0 2
8 0 5 0 0 5 3 4 2 9
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3
4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3
7 0 1 0 0 1 3 2 0 5

Table 3. Number of transverse cracks in test sections at different

survey times

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 Transport Serviceability and structural performance
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Section Low transverse Moderate transverse Patching Total number of

cracks cracks cracks

2 30 33 28 119
5 12 66 27 132
8 15 115 39 208
3 8 15 10 43
6 190 0 29 248
9 219 0 37 293
1 129 0 31 191
4 141 6 39 225
7 89 1 30 150

Table 4. Existing number of cracks on concrete base

Initial 1-month 11-months 300 Patching

Moderate transverse cracks
Number of cracks in concrete base

10 Sandstone
250 Low transverse cracks
⎩
⎨
⎧
Number of transverse cracks

9 37
8 0
200 29
7 0
6 Gravel 39
⎩
⎨
⎧

5 150 39 31 6
0
4 219
3 Quartzite 100 190 30
27 1
⎩
⎨
⎧

28 141
2 115 129
1 50 33 66 89
0 10
30 15
2 5 8 3 6 9 1 4 7 12 15 8
0
Test sections 2 5 8 3 6 9 1 4 7
Test sections
Figure 5. Number of transverse cracks in asphalt pavement for
each section at different survey dates Figure 6. Number of cracks in concrete base

occurred on the sections including quartzite; for the sections
including gravel, the number of cracks was in between those of
the sandstone and quartzite pavements. In summary, the type of
aggregate used in the test sections seems to affect crack forma-
tion in the pavement over time and the best results were achieved
on the sections where quartzite was used.
In addition to the effect of aggregate type on asphalt pavement
performance, it was noted that the initial condition of the
concrete base can affect the formation of cracks. Table 4 and
Figure 6 show the number of cracks – including both transverse
cracks and patching on the concrete base – before the asphalt
pavement was placed. Existing transverse cracks and the edges of
patching on the concrete base were expected to affect crack
formation in the asphalt pavement. Comparison of Figures 5 and
6 shows the difference between the last condition of the asphalt
pavement and the initial condition of the concrete base, and
reveals the possible effects of distress in the concrete base on
crack formation in the AC overlay. Figure 5 shows that the
highest number of cracks in the AC overlays in the first month
occurred on sections 2, 5 and 8 while Figure 6 shows that these
were the sections with the greatest number of moderate transverse
cracks in the concrete base. This supports the conclusion that
both the type of aggregate and the initial concrete base condition
affect crack formation in AC overlays.
3.2 PSI measurement results
For each test section at the same station, two sets of PSI
measurements were taken: just after the AC pavement was placed
(PSI-Fin) and 11 months later (PSI-Nov02). On both eastbound
and westbound lanes, the PSI values were calculated for the
inside and outside lanes separately. Table 5 shows the average PSI
values for each section and it is clear that PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov02
values are very close. A t-test was thus performed on the PSI
measurements to see if the changes were significant.
4. Statistical analysis of PSI data
In order to assess the change in PSI of the AC overlays in
11 months, a t-test was conducted for each set of data from each
section. The t-test assesses whether the means of two groups of
data are statistically different from each other. When looking at
the differences between scores for two groups, the difference
between their means relative to the spread or variability of their
scores must be judged. The formula for the t-test is

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 Transport Serviceability and structural performance
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Section Average Average 1 X n

S 2D ¼ (di  mD )2
PSI-Fin PSI-Nov02 5: n  1 i¼1

Eastbound outside lane 6 4.469 4.486

9 4.459 4.401 and
1 4.570 4.506
4 4.670 4.711 6: di ¼ (PSI-Fin)i  (PSI-Nov02)i
7 4.470 4.493
Eastbound inside lane 6 4.604 4.629
9 4.464 4.406 in which (PSI-Fin) i and (PSI-Nov02) i are the ith observed values
1 4.519 4.507 from the two populations PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov02.
4 4.574 4.684
7 4.157 4.147 Once the t-statistic is computed, a table of significance is
Westbound outside lane 2 4.386 4.405 consulted to test whether it is large enough to say that the
5 4.408 4.393 difference between PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov02 is not likely to have
8 4.562 4.430 been a chance finding. To test the significance, a risk level is set
3 4.667 4.673 (called the level of significance) as Æ ¼ 0.05. This means that, on
Westbound inside lane 2 4.229 4.363 average, five times out of a hundred there would be a statistically
5 4.219 4.260 significant difference between the means given that there were
8 4.119 3.993 none (i.e. ‘by chance’). Having the Æ ¼ 0.05 level of significance,
3 4.520 4.546 the degrees of freedom (v ¼ n  1) and the t-statistic value, a
standard table of significance can be consulted to determine
Table 5. Average PSI values of each section whether the t-statistic is large enough to be significant. If it is,
the difference between PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov 02 is statistically
significant and thus it can be concluded that the PSI of the AC
overlay decreased in 11 months.

Difference between group means

t-statistic ¼ The hypotheses for testing whether the difference between the
2: Variability of groups two group means is significant in a one-tailed problem are as
follows.

The denominator of Equation 2 is called the standard error of
difference. In this study, the means of PSI values measured at the
same station points at different dates were compared. The two
sets of data (PSI-Fin, PSI-Nov02) for each section are thus said
to be paired, meaning that PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov02 represent the
same variable under two different conditions. In other words,
these two random samples are not independent. Consequently, for
the t-test, the paired sample test was used, a criterion of which is
that the number of points in each dataset must be the same and
they must be organised in pairs such that there is a definite
relationship between each pair. Therefore
mD
t-statistic ¼
3: S D =n1=2
where the difference between group means is given by
1X n
mD ¼ di
4: n i¼1
j Null hypothesis: for a given section, PSI-Fin ¼ PSI-Nov02.
j Alternate hypothesis: for a given section, PSI-Fin . PSI-
Nov02.
j Criteria: reject the null hypothesis and accept alternate
hypothesis if t-statistic . tÆ, where tÆ is the critical value of
the t-distribution at Æ ¼ 0.05 significance level.
A one-tailed t-test was performed because the question that
needed to be answered by means of the t-test was: is PSI-
Fin . PSI-Nov02? If PSI-Fin , PSI-Nov02, the null hypothesis is
accepted regardless of how much smaller PSI-Fin is than PSI-
Nov02.
Another way of comparing PSI-Fin and PSI-Nov02 values with
the t-test is to calculate the P-value for each test section, this
value being the area under the t-distribution curve for t ,
t-statistic. Since in this t-test the significance level was 0.05, it
needs to be checked whether or not the P-value is greater than
0.05 for each section. If P-value . 0.05, the null hypothesis is
accepted and it is concluded that PSI-Fin ¼ PSI-Nov02.

The t-test results are given in Table 6: mD , SD , t-statistic, tÆ and

P-values are given for each section. The results show that, only
the variability of groups is for the inside and outside lanes of section 8, the t-statistics are

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 Transport Serviceability and structural performance
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Section mD SD tÆ t-statistic P-value

Eastbound outside lane 6 0.017 0.109 1.943 0.415 0.654

9 0.057 0.078 1.943 1.927 0.051
1 0.064 0.116 1.943 1.470 0.096
4 0.041 0.116 1.943 0.949 0.810
7 0.023 0.153 1.943 0.395 0.647
Eastbound inside lane 6 0.024 0.062 1.943 1.043 0.831
9 0.059 0.101 1.943 1.528 0.089
1 0.011 0.111 1.943 0.272 0.397
4 0.110 0.200 1.943 1.456 0.902
7 0.010 0.296 1.943 0.089 0.466
Westbound outside lane 2 0.019 0.103 1.895 0.520 0.689
5 0.015 0.139 1.895 0.306 0.384
8 0.132 0.168 1.860 2.360 0.023
3 0.006 0.155 1.833 0.122 0.547
Westbound inside lane 2 0.134 0.155 1.895 2.443 0.978
5 0.041 0.096 1.895 1.216 0.868
8 0.126 0.156 1.860 2.415 0.021
3 0.026 0.140 1.833 0.588 0.715

Table 6. t-test results for each test section

larger than tÆ and, for the same section, P-value , 0.05. This
means that, for this section, the null hypothesis is rejected and
the alternate hypothesis is accepted, meaning that PSI-Fin . PSI-
Nov02. For all other sections, t-statistic , tÆ : the null hypothesis
is thus accepted, meaning that PSI-Fin ¼ PSI-Nov02 with a
significance level of 95%. In other words, except for section 8, all
sections’ serviceability indices did not decrease with a signifi-
cance level of 95% over the 11 month period.
5. Conclusion
Based on the results of the visual pavement condition surveys and
PSI measurements, the structural performance and serviceability
of different types of AC overlays were assessed. A statistical test
was conducted on the PSI data to determine the change in
serviceability index of each highway test section.
Visual surveys showed that, compared with other sections, a
significant number of cracks occurred on sections 2, 5 and 8.
Although the mix design was different for each of these sections,
the type of aggregate used in these sections was the same, namely
sandstone. It is notable that among these sections, the highest
number of cracks occurred on section 8. Significantly, the initial
condition survey revealed that there were a significant number of
moderate transverse cracks in the concrete base of sections 2, 5
and 8 before placement of the AC layer, with the highest number
on section 8.
Statistical analysis of the PSI data showed that, for the inside and
outside lanes of section 8, the serviceability index changed
significantly during the 11 month study period. For the other
sections, the serviceability index did not change significantly over
this period of time.
Both visual pavement condition surveys and PSI measurements
thus showed that the worst serviceability and structural perform-
ance was given by section 8, which is probably a result of
material properties and the initial condition of the concrete base.
The test results show a high correlation between structural
performance and serviceability of thin AC overlay sections,
especially for section 8, and this highlights the importance of
aggregate properties and initial base conditions for AC overlay
performance.
On the other hand, the test results did not show any clear
evidence for the effect of different mix designs on the overall
performance of AC overlays placed on an existing concrete base
and this needs further studies. Similarly, although there were
significant numbers of cracks on test sections 5 and 2, no change
in PSI value was observed for these sections. Further study is
thus needed to assess the effect of existing concrete base
conditions on AC overlay serviceability.
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