Municipal Engineer Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Municipal Engineer 170 June 2017 Issue ME2

Volume 170 Issue ME2
Pages 97–104 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jmuen.16.00003
Unsealed joints in urban concrete Paper 1600003
Received 22/01/2016 Accepted 24/05/2016
pavements for buses
Published online 24/04/2016
Pradena and Diaz Keywords: concrete structures/pavement design/
roads & highways

ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Unsealed joints in urban

concrete pavements for buses
Mauricio Pradena MSc Marcos Diaz MSc
PhD Candidate, TU Delft, Delft, The Netherlands; Associate Professor, Department of Construction Sciences, Metropolitan
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Technology, Santiago, Chile
University of Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile (corresponding author:
m.a.pradenamiquel@tudelft.nl)

Urban pavements for buses need to resist high traffic demands without regular invasive maintenance interventions
that affect the pavement clients. Although jointed plain concrete pavements can provide these requirements, sealing
the joints and keeping them sealed for 10 years costs up to 45% more than unsealed joints. The objective of this
paper is to evaluate the performance of unsealed transverse joints in urban pavements for buses. The field
measurements made after 8 years in-service (average) in 270 unsealed joints in Chile, 150 on bus corridors and 120
on their adjacent lanes, show that only ten joints of the bus corridors were affected by very low spalling (30 mm)
due to the construction process and not due to the performance of the unsealed joints. The adjacent lanes have zero
joints affected by spalling. Furthermore, no pumping or measurable joint faulting was detected even after 5 million
accumulated equivalent single-axle loads. These results, the 50 years of Wisconsin’s experience in the USA and the
deficiencies of joint seals place unsealed joints as a cost-effective alternative to optimise urban pavements for buses,
considering the needs of the pavement clients – that is, users and municipal transportation agencies.

1. Introduction the life cycle of these urban infrastructures dedicated to buses.

Jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCPs) can resist high
traffic demands and they are durable pavements that do not
need regular invasive maintenance interventions that affect the
users. In effect, maintenance interventions or invasive works of
rehabilitation (or even reconstruction) can cause high negative
effects on the users of urban infrastructure, for instance delays
(travel time), discomfort and they can even affect the user’s
safety (accidents). Besides, these interventions can affect the
users of alternative streets due to traffic reallocation.
Among the largest groups of pavement clients are not only the
road users but also the transportation agencies (Haas and
Hudson, 1996). If maintenance interventions, rehabilitation or
reconstruction works are made during night, for instance, in
order to reduce the effects on road users, the life-cycle costs
can increase significantly which affects the municipal transpor-
tation agency. In effect, transportation agencies assign high
priority to life-cycle cost–effectiveness (Haas and Hudson,
1996).
Hence, in the planning, design, construction, development and
maintenance of habitable and sustainable cities, needs of pave-
ment clients must be considered. In particular this is valid for
dedicated pavements for buses as special lanes or corridors,
bus stops and bus stations. In this way, JPCP becomes an
attractive alternative considering the high traffic intensity in
In addition, JPCP resists without deformation low-speed bus
traffic typical of bus stops and bus stations and they are resist-
ant to aggressive agents such as oils, greases and fuels as well.
Finally, JPCPs contribute to the user safety keeping high levels
of skid resistance and providing bright surfaces.
However, the traditional practice of sealing the joints of JPCPs
and keeping them sealed for 10 years costs up to 45% more
than the unsealed joints (Shober, 1986). In fact, the sealing
of joints has associated costs due to material, labour, construc-
tion, repair, re-seal, traffic and lane closure. As the joints
were constructed wide enough to receive the seal, when they
are not well maintained water and incompressible materials
can enter the joint and produce extreme stress concentration,
then spalling, and pumping that influences joint faulting.
In addition, the joint seals are often not working well enough,
not keeping the joint free of water; long-term joint faulting
data show a strong correlation with annual rainfall and the
average service life of joint seals is < 10 years (Jung et al.,
2011). Therefore, there is increased interest in eliminating
transverse joint sealants as a means of lowering concrete pave-
ment costs. The seal/no seal project in the USA, for instance,
includes numerous preliminary studies regarding using or not
using seals in joints (http://www.sealnoseal.org). This is an
ongoing research project that was originated due to the lack of
data in the industry.

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Municipal Engineer
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The objective of this paper is to evaluate the performance of
unsealed transverse joints in urban pavements dedicated to
buses. For that, field measurements have been made in 270
unsealed joints of JPCPs in Santiago, the capital city of Chile.
Of these, 150 joints correspond to five bus corridors and 120
unsealed joints correspond to the adjacent lanes dedicated to
private traffic. In addition, other practical experiences with
unsealed joints in Chile and the USA are considered.
However, before the evaluation of unsealed joints themselves,
their technical basis is presented starting from the deficiencies
of joint seals and including visual inspections made at sealed
joints of bus stations and bus stops in the Netherlands.
2. Technical basis of unsealed joints
The function of the seals is to avoid the contamination of
joints with coarse incompressible materials and to impede the
introduction of water. However, the joint seals are often not
working well enough and they commonly have adhesive and/or
cohesive failure (Jung et al., 2011). In effect, in visual inspec-
tions made in bus stations of the cities of Eindhoven, Zwolle,
Amersfoort, Rotterdam and Apeldoorn in the Netherlands,
these failures were the typical ones found in the joint seals.
In addition, in bus stops of the cities of Arnhem and
CM 2 4
0 Inch 1
CM 2 4
(a) (b)
Figure 1. Example of sealed joints contaminated at bus stops of
the cities of (a) Arnhem, (b) Maastricht and (c) Wroclaw
98
Unsealed joints in urban concrete
pavements for buses
Pradena and Diaz
Maastricht in the Netherlands and Wroclaw in Poland, sealed
joints were contaminated even when the seals did not present
the typical adhesive and/or cohesive failures (Figure 1).
In these bus stops, the location of the seals in the joints was
deep enough to allow contamination of the joint. This location
of the seal could be the result of the installation process or the
hydraulic pressure of water trapped in the joint when heavy
traffic passes.
In the case of common adhesive and/or cohesive failure or in
the situation observed in Figure 1, the seals are not accom-
plishing their function. As the joints were cut wide enough
to receive the seal, in-service JPCPs easily have enough
space available for the contamination of joints. The sealed
joints shown as examples in Figure 1 have available thickness
of 12 mm (Figure 1(a)), 13 mm (Figure 1(b)) and 9 mm
(Figure 1(c)) for the introduction of incompressible materials.
In unsealed joints, a saw-cut as narrow as possible (current
technology allows cuts ≤ 3 mm) impedes the introduction of
coarse material in the joint saving the cost of sealing and re-
sealing the joints. Unsealed joints become uniformly filled full
with fine incompressible material (Pradena and Houben, 2015;
Shober, 1997). When the pavement expands, the stress is
uniformly distributed across the entire pavement cross-section.
This uniform stress will only amount to a maximum of
6 8
2 3
CM 2 4
(c)
Municipal Engineer
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7–14 MPa, well below the compressive strength of the concrete
(Shober, 1997).
In addition, in unsealed joints the amount of fines in the
underlying base/soil layer is limited (≤ 8% passing 75 μm).
Then the water cannot drag fines, there is no pumping and no
production of joint faulting for this concept.
3. Methodology to evaluate unsealed
transverse joints
3.1 Effects of joint performance on pavement
performance
As was mentioned previously, the largest groups of pavements
clients – that is, direct users and transportation agencies,
assign priority to ride quality (Haas and Hudson, 1996). On
the other hand, the higher costs of construction and mainten-
ance associated with joint seals need to be justified by enhan-
cing the performance of the JPCP. Therefore, more than the
joint performance itself, the evaluation needs to consider the
effects of joint performance on pavement performance and in
the end the satisfaction of the pavement clients. For instance,
more than the joint spalling itself, it is important to evaluate
its potential effect on the ride quality of the JPCP. In this way,
the method of the federal highway administration in the USA
is applied, because according to this method a joint is affected
by spalling only if the total length of spalling is 10% or more
of the joint length (Miller and Bellinger, 2003). In the cases of
joint faulting and pumping, the Chilean catalogue of pavement
deterioration is applied (CHA, 2013).
3.2 Field measurements of unsealed joints in
Santiago City, Chile
3.2.1 Bus corridors
In Santiago, the capital city of Chile, the new public transpor-
tation system was started in 2007 and includes articulated
buses with a steering axle, a single axle – double tyre at the
centre and a single axle – double tyre at the rear. These articu-
lated buses are the typical traffic over the bus corridors built
for the new public transportation system. These bus corridors
can include unsealed joints among their design features
(Metropolitan SERVIU, 2005).
Five bus corridors of traditional JPCPs (slab length ≥ 3·0 m)
were chosen for the evaluation. In every bus corridor, three test
sections of ten joints each section were randomly chosen for
the analysis. Hence, in total, 150 joints were investigated in the
field as follows.
& 30 joints in bus corridor ‘Avenue Vicuña Mackena’.
& 30 joints in bus corridor ‘Avenue Pedro Aguirre Cerda’.
& 30 joints in bus corridor ‘Avenue Las Industrias’.
Unsealed joints in urban concrete
pavements for buses
Pradena and Diaz
& 30 joints in bus corridor ‘Intermediate Ring’.
& 30 joints in bus corridor ‘Avenue Dorsal’.
One of the factors considered in the selection of these bus
corridors was the time in-service of the JPCPs. The first four
bus corridors were built in 2007, at the very beginning of the
new public transportation system of Santiago City. The fifth
bus corridor was built in 2009. In addition, the JPCPs of the
bus corridors of Santiago City include granular base (with
limited fines) and they are undowelled. These conditions are
especially unfavourable for the joints in terms of the potential
to produce joint faulting. The five bus corridors were built
with the same type of concrete (mean flexural strength
5·0 MPa after 28 d) and the joints were formed using the
early-entry saw-cutting method with a thin blade of 2 mm
thickness. The early-entry saw-cutting is made just 3–5 h after
concrete placement with light equipment. The advantage of
this method is that it can relieve internal concrete stresses
due to the early-age saw-cutting. However, there is a risk of
producing ravelling at the joints.
The accumulated traffic in terms of the equivalent single-axle
loads (ESALs) was estimated based on the frequency of the
buses. The annual increment of traffic (1·8%) and the load
equivalency factor (4·22) are the typical values used in the
pavement design of bus corridors for the public transportation
system of Santiago City (Michell, 2007; TC, 2011).
3.2.2 Adjacent lanes (private traffic)
To make a comparison with the performance of the unsealed
joints in the bus corridors, field measurements were made in
unsealed joints on adjacent lanes of the first four bus corridors
– that is, 120 unsealed joints of the oldest bus corridors. These
adjacent and parallel lanes are part of the same avenue as
the bus corridors but they are dedicated to private traffic. The
‘Avenue Dorsal’ is an exception, because it includes private
and public traffic together. In this case, the accumulated
ESALs were obtained from the pavement design of this avenue
(Michell, 2007).
The adjacent lanes have the same construction characteristics,
materials and granular base as the bus corridors.
3.3 Other experiences with unsealed joints
3.3.1 Wisconsin Department of Transportation, USA
The experience of the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation is considered relevant. In effect, for 50 years
they have investigated sealed and unsealed joints in urban and
rural areas, for various traffic levels and truck loadings, on
open- and dense-graded bases, on sandy to silty-clay soils, with
short and long joint spacing, with and without dowel bars, and
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so on. Wisconsin’s unsealed joints are sawed 3–6 mm wide
(Shober, 1997).
3.3.2 Short slabs, Chile
Finally, the field measurements of pavement performance
made by Salsilli et al. (2015) in a bus corridor in Santiago City
are also considered. This JPCP was built using short concrete
slabs that include unsealed joints with limited fines in the gran-
ular base among its design features (Covarrubias, 2012). This
innovation produces savings in initial construction costs of
about 20% because the slabs are thinner than traditional
JPCPs due to the new traffic load configuration and the
reduced slab curling (Covarrubias, 2012). In effect, according
to Roesler et al. (2012) short slab fatigue performance signifi-
cantly exceeds that of conventional JPCPs with equivalent
thickness. Certain aspects of this technology have been
patented (Covarrubias, 2012). Experiences with short slabs,
more information and analysis can be found in Pradena and
Houben (2014, 2015).
3.4 Performance of sealed joints
Pradena and Díaz (2016) made field measurements in 120
sealed joints of the bus corridors ‘Avenue Departamental’ and
‘Avenue Pajaritos’ of the public transportation system of
Santiago City (Chile). With the exception of joint sealing, the
rest of pavement characteristics are similar to the JPCPs with
unsealed joints. In addition to the same climatic conditions,
the measurements were made until similar level of accumulated
traffic to the empirical evidence in unsealed joints.
4. Results and analysis
Table 1 shows that 93% of the 150 joints of the five bus corri-
dors were not affected by spalling even after 5 million ESALs.
Only 7% of the 150 unsealed joints – that is, ten joints, were
affected by spalling. However, these ten joints of the bus corri-
dors ‘Intermediate Ring’ and ‘Avenue Dorsal’ have very low
levels of spalling with an average of 30 mm (75 mm being the
lower severity level for the federal highway administration),
which can be explained by the construction conditions. In fact,
the ten joints are localised in only three test sections, two on
the ‘Intermediate Ring’ and one on the ‘Avenue Dorsal’. These
three sections were constructed in summer under high tempera-
ture (≈30°C) and with late application of the curing com-
pound, which are favourable conditions for the production
of spalling even without traffic – that is, as a result of the
construction process and not necessarily due to the perform-
ance of the unsealed joints. In fact, Liu et al. (2012) highlight
the importance of the curing of concrete at early age in the for-
mation of the microstructure of the concrete.
In the case of the adjacent lanes dedicated to private traffic,
100% of the joints were unaffected by spalling – that is, all
120 joints chosen for the study. The adjacent lanes have similar
accumulated ESALs to the bus corridors.
Although the five bus corridors (and their adjacent lanes dedi-
cated to private traffic) have granular base and they are undo-
welled JPCPs, no pumping and no measurable joint faulting
was identified in the 15 test sections of the five bus corridors
analysed (nor in the 12 test sections of the four adjacent
lanes). Considering this and that only 7% of the unsealed
joints affected by a very low level of spalling of 30 mm (due to
the construction conditions), it is possible to conclude that the
performance of the unsealed joints of the five bus corridors
after 8 years in-service (average), and 5 million ESALs, is
adequate in terms of the potential effects on the pavement
clients. Figure 2 shows an example of a joint and a general
view of one of the bus corridors studied.
After 4 000 000 accumulated ESALs, low levels of spalling
(average 40 mm) were detected in ten sealed joints – 8% of the
120 joints. However, typical adhesive failure was identified in
the seals and even generalised joint faulting (average 5 mm) in

Design traffic (millions ESALs Time in-service: Accumulated traffic in the time Spalling Average
Bus corridor accumulated 20 years) years in-service (millions ESALs) ( joints) spalling: mm

Vicuña 13·1 9 5·0 0 —

Mackena
Pedro 13·2 9 5·1 0 —
A. Cerda
Las Industrias 3·3 9 1·3 0 —
Intermediate 8·8 9 3·4 5 30
Ring
Dorsal 10·6 7 3·1 5 30

Table 1. Joint spalling, traffic and time in-service of the bus

corridors

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(a)
(b)
Figure 2. (a) General view of the bus corridor ‘Avenue Vicuña
Mackena’ after 9 years in-service and 4 million ESALs and
(b) example of the state of unsealed joints in this bus corridor
one section of ‘Avenue Pajaritos’ (Pradena and Díaz, 2016).
In spite of the low level of spalling, the sealed joints will
require maintenance interventions in order to avoid further
joint deteriorations. In effect, these joints were constructed
wide enough to receive the seal, and with adhesive failure,
there is space available for the contamination of the joint. On
the contrary, this kind of maintenance intervention is not
required in unsealed joints because the thin saw-cut (2–3 mm)
impedes the introduction of coarse incompressible materials in
the joint. Moreover, when the amount of fines in the under-
lying base/soil layer is limited (≤ 8% passing 75 μm), water
cannot drag fines; there is no pumping, and no production of
joint faulting for this concept.
For illustration purposes further measurements were made at
9 000 000 accumulated ESALs in another section of ‘Avenue
Pajaritos’ with higher traffic demand. In fact, the joint deterio-
ration increases including higher generalised joint faulting
(average 7 mm) (Pradena and Díaz, 2016). These empirical
evidence shows that sealed joints do not justify their extra
Unsealed joints in urban concrete
pavements for buses
Pradena and Diaz
costs enhancing the pavement performance. This is in agree-
ment with the more than 50 years of experience of Wisconsin
(USA) where the results, for various truck loadings, have
always shown that sealing does not enhance pavement per-
formance. They have even concluded that the pavements
with unsealed joints performed better than pavements with
sealed joints (Shober, 1986). Wisconsin Department of
Transportation has reported a saving of 6 000 000 USD
annually with no loss in pavement performance due to the use
of unsealed joints (Shober, 1997). It is important to highlight
that Wisconsin’s experience is with unsealed joints sawed 3–
6 mm wide, but the current technology allows saw-cuts of
3 mm or less.
In addition, in the bus corridor with short concrete slabs over
a granular base, measurements were made after 13 000 000
ESALs without any sign of negative effects from unsealed joint
behaviour on the JPCP performance; in fact no joint faulting
was noticeable (Salsilli et al., 2015).
5. Practical recommendations, relevance
and potential applications
To form the joints in a correct way in the construction process,
it is important to give attention to the timing of application of
the curing compound – that is, after finishing the pavement
surface. In addition it is recommended to reapply the curing
compound localised at the joints after the saw-cutting. This is
especially valid when the JPCP is being constructed in con-
ditions like that of the test section with spalling – that is, high
temperature at the time of construction (≈ 30°C). Furthermore,
in these conditions it is also recommended to use an evapor-
ation reducer prior to the application of the curing compound
in order to prevent early water evaporation from the concrete.
Pradena et al. (2012) gained practical experience by building a
test section of JPCP in the National Highway Laboratory at
Santiago City, Chile, in order to know better the behaviour of
the concrete at early age in exigent climatic conditions and its
influence on the construction of the JPCP. The test section
included unsealed joints. The temperature of the concrete
at the time of construction was 30°C reaching a maximum of
48°C at 5·5 h. A maximum solar radiation of 994 W/m2 and
a minimum relative humidity of 20% occurred at the time of
the construction. Immediately after concrete placement (before
the application of the curing compound), an evaporation
reducer based on aliphatic alcohol was applied (Figure 3(a)).
The unsealed joints were formed with early-entry saw-cutting
at 4·5 h after concrete placement without deterioration
(Figure 3(b)).
The importance of correct curing is not exclusive to construc-
tion conditions such as the ones described previously. In effect,
101
Municipal Engineer
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(a)
Figure 3. (a) Application of the evaporation reducer at the test
section of the National Highway Laboratory, Santiago City and
(b) example of the results of unsealed joints (reproduced from
in the construction of JPCP with short slabs (and then
unsealed joints) on Route 257CH in the Province of Tierra del
Fuego (Land of Fire) in Chilean Patagonia, the influential
factor was the wind with speeds of 60 km/h or more. In this
project early-age curing included the application of an evapor-
ation reducer based on aliphatic alcohol that was fundamental
to the successful construction results for unsealed joints
(Pradena et al., 2012).
The average rainfall in Santiago City (Chile) is 340 mm/year
and 876 mm/year in Wisconsin. In 2000, three states of the
USA (Alaska, Hawaii and Wisconsin) reported they do not
apply joint sealing anymore (Jung et al., 2011). Hawaii is the
wettest state in the USA with an average annual rainfall of
1785 mm. Even when it is recommended to continue and
extrapolate the study of unsealed joints to other cities, the
evidence presented in this paper place the unsealed joints as a
cost-effective alternative to optimise the urban pavements.
In effect, the evaluation of unsealed joints in bus corridors is
very significant in the urban context, because they are the
pavements with one of the highest traffic demands possible to
find in cities (in general more than 5 000 000 ESALs accumu-
lated in the life cycle). And if unsealed joints are able to opti-
mise pavements for buses, they could optimise other urban
pavements as well.
102
Unsealed joints in urban concrete
pavements for buses
Pradena and Diaz
(b)
Pradena and Díaz (2015) by kind permission of STEF92
Technology)
The field measurements of this paper were made on traditional
JPCPs (slab length ≥ 3·0 m). However, the design of JPCPs
with innovations such as short slabs including unsealed joints
among their design features and the field measurements made
by Salsilli et al. (2015) show the adequate performance of the
unsealed joints (even after 13 million ESALs). Thus, the inno-
vation of short slabs could potentially be applied to urban
pavements, further reducing the costs as a result of reduced
concrete thickness.
6. Conclusions
In the field, 93% of the 150 joints of the five bus corridors
were not affected by spalling even after 5 million ESALs.
In effect only ten joints (i.e. 7%) were affected by very low
levels of spalling as a result of the construction process.
In fact, the ten joints were concentrated in three test sections
constructed in summer under high temperatures (≈ 30°C) and
with late application of the curing compound.
In the case of the adjacent lanes dedicated to private traffic,
100% of the joints were unaffected by spalling – that is, all 120
joints chosen for the study.
Although the five bus corridors (and their adjacent lanes dedi-
cated to private traffic) have granular base and they are
Municipal Engineer
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undowelled JPCPs, no pumping and no measurable joint fault-
ing was identified in the 15 test sections of the five bus corri-
dors analysed (nor in the 12 test sections of the four adjacent
lanes).
Low level of joint spalling and typical adhesive failure were
detected in sealed joints of the bus corridors of Santiago City.
In addition, generalised joint faulting was detected in one
section.
The remarkable performance of unsealed joints in the bus
corridors of the transportation system of Santiago City,
Wisconsin’s favourable experience of more than 50 years with
unsealed joints for various truck loadings, the absence of nega-
tive effects over the performance of the bus corridor with short
slabs after 13 million ESALs and the deficiencies of joint seals
(that do not justify their extra costs) place unsealed joints as a
cost-effective alternative for the optimiation of urban pave-
ments dedicated to buses considering the needs of the pave-
ment clients – that is, users and municipal transportation
agencies.
To form the joints in a correct way it is recommended to give
attention to the timing of application of the curing compound
and to reapply it at joints after the saw-cutting, especially
when JPCPs are constructed at high temperatures or in windy
conditions.
Acknowledgements
The Chilean public organisations: National Highway
Laboratory and the Metropolitan Service of Housing and
Urbanism are acknowledged for their contribution to the
study.
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