Pavement Distress
Pavement Distresses
(Chapter 9)
• Asphalt pavement
• Concrete pavement
Distresses in Asphalt Pavement
Pavement Design:
Performance Over Design Life
Pavements are designed to fail!
Basic Distress Mechanisms
• Load-related
• Temperature-related
• Moisture-related
• Age-related
• Material-related
• Construction related
• Combinations
Categories of Pavement Distress
• Structural vs. Functional
– Structural: Load-carrying capacity
– Functional: Ride quality and safety
• Load- vs. Non-Load-Associated
– Load-Associated: Caused by traffic loads
– Non-Load-Associated: Caused by climate,
materials, or construction
Fatigue Cracking
Thermal Cracking
Rutting
Reflection Cracking
Roughness
Friction
(Haas, Hudson, & Zaniewski, 1994)
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructur
e/pavements/ltpp/13092/13092.pdf
Assessment of Pavement Condition
• Subjective Rating (e.g., PSR)
• Visual Distress Survey (e.g., PCI)
• Nondestructive Testing (NDT, roughness, skid)
• Destructive Testing (e.g., coring)
Techniques are slightly different for flexible/AC vs.
rigid/PCC pavements
Windshield Survey
Walking Survey
Knees and Elbows Survey
Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)
• Subjective rating by
individual/panel
• Developed during AASHO
Road Test (late 1950’s)
• 0 < PSR < 5
• PSR < ~2.5:
Unacceptable
(Haas, Hudson, and Zaniewski, 1994)
The Basic Problem...
• Pavement distresses are highly heterogeneous
– Structural vs. functional
– Load- vs. environment-induced
– Varying levels of severity
– Spatial variability
• For Network Level Evaluation, combine diverse distresses into
a single performance rating
• For Project Level Evaluation, provide sufficient detail of
individual distresses to evaluate causes and potential remedies
Visual Distress Surveys
• Indirectly assesses both Structural and Functional performance
• More detailed than PSR evaluation
• More “objective”?
• Range from windshield surveys to detailed distress extent
measurements (PCI Survey)
• Distress details provide valuable information:
– Maintenance/rehabilitation
– Pavement management
• Pavement Condition Index survey is most developed.
Causes of Flexible Pavement
Distress
• Load-related
– Fatigue cracking
– Permanent deformation
– Potholes
• Climate and materials-related
– Bleeding
– Transverse cracking
– Raveling / weathering
See also Table 9.1 in Huang (2004)
(Huang, 1993)
Typical Distresses in Asphalt
Pavements
Distress Mode Distress Manifestation
Fracture Cracking
• load associated (fatigue)
• non-load associated
(thermal & block)
• longitudinal
• reflection
Distortion
Permanent Deformation
• densification
• creep (rutting/shoving/
corrugations)
• slippage
Typical Distresses in Asphalt
Pavements (Cont.)
Distress Mode Distress Manifestation
• Disintegration • Stripping
• Raveling
• Other • Reduced skid resistance
• Riding quality-roughness
• Swelling/frost
Fatigue Severity and Extent
Fatigue Cracking
Load Associated (Fatigue)
Cracking
Also called alligator or map cracking
• Loads too heavy for the pavement structure
• Too many repetitions of load
• Inadequate support (pavement layers/subgrade)
• Poor drainage
• Very stiff binder in surface course
• Occurs in wheel path, potholes develop in advanced
stage
Early Stage of Fatigue Cracking
Intermediate Stage of Fatigue
Cracking
High Severity Pothole
Propagation of Fatigue Cracking
Advanced Stage of Fatigue Cracking
Thermal Cracking
HMA Contraction
Friction on Underside of HMA Surface
Non-Load Associated (Thermal)
Cracking
Transverse cracks occur at regular intervals
• Asphalt too stiff at low service temperatures
• Rapid chilling of the road surface
• Highly temperature susceptible asphalt binder
• Age of the pavement
Thermal Cracks
Thermal Cracking
Wide Thermal Crack
Block Cracking
• Both transverse and longitudinal cracking
• Most often on low volume roads/parking lots
• Thixotropic hardening (structuring) of asphalt
binder
Longitudinal Cracking
Occurs parallel to the center line of roadway
Center Line Joint
• Joint between adjacent lanes
• Density gradient across the joint
• Low density - low tensile strength
Edge Cracking
• Lack of lateral (shoulder) support
• Settlement of widened pavement
• Poor drainage (ditches)
Longitudinal cracking in the wheel
path
Sources of Longitudinal Cracking
Longitudinal edge cracking
High
severity
edge
cracking
Rutting
• Unstable HMA course(s)
- Poor mix design
- Rounded aggregate
- Excessive binder
- Soft binder
Permanent Deformation (Rutting)
Wheel load
HMA Surface
Base
Subbase
Soil
Minor Rutting
Severe Rutting
Rutting Confined to HMA Layer
Unstable HMA
Poor Compaction During Construction
Poor Subgrade
Frost Heave
Corrugations
• Lack of bond between HMA courses
• Unstable surface course mix
• Braking and accelerating action near intersections
Slippage\ Shoving
• Associated with slippage mechanism
• Poor bond between the surface and underlying
layer
• Too much or too little tack coat
• Steep grades/intersections
• Acceleration/braking exert surface traction
forces
• U-shaped
Shoving
High
severity
slippage
cracking
Large Potholes-Signing ?
Water Bleeding & Pumping
Depression due to Pumping
Stripping\Raveling
Breaking of adhesive bond between the aggregate
surface and asphalt binder usually in presence of
moisture
• Inadequate pavement drainage system
• Mixes with excessive air voids (poor compaction),
and low asphalt content
• Incompatible aggregate surface and asphalt binder,
asphalt binder displaced by water
• Excessive pore pressure induced by traffic
• Spontaneous emulsification of binder by water
Stripping
Separation
of asphalt
from
aggregate
Stripping
Raveling
Flushing / Bleeding
Polished Aggregate
Shoving
PCR Method
