Behavior of Asphalt Overlays

with Geogrids and Geocomposite

Interlayer Systems

V. Vinay Kumar , Sireesh Saride , and Jorge G. Zornberg

Abstract Geosynthetics in the form of geotextiles, geogrids, and geocompos-

ites have been incorporated into pavement systems to enhance the service life of
asphalt overlays by retarding reflective cracking. In this study, the performance
of asphalt overlays reinforced with geogrids and geocomposite interlayer systems
placed on pre-existing asphalt layer was evaluated. Specifically, both unreinforced
and geosynthetic-reinforced, two-layered asphalt beam specimens prepared with a
pre-existing 25 mm-deep notch (crack) in the bottom layer were tested under repeated
four-point bending load conditions. The two-layered asphalt specimen consisted
of a 45 mm-thick, old pavement layer collected from an existing highway as a
bottom layer, a binder tack coat, the tested interlayer, and a 45 mm-thick hot mix
asphalt (HMA) overlay. A glass-geogrid composite (GGC) involving a geotextile
backing interlayer and two different types of geogrid interlayers, namely, a polyester
geogrid (PET) and a polypropylene geogrid (PP) were used in this study. Repeated
loading was applied to all specimens using a four-point bending configuration in
a load-controlled mode at a frequency of 1 Hz. The performance of the different
geosynthetic-reinforced specimens was compared against that of the control spec-
imen (CS) and the improvement in fatigue life was estimated. Considering the specific
products in this study, results indicate that all the geosynthetic-reinforced specimens
resulted in extended fatigue life of overlays in relation to the CS, and among them,
the best performance was obtained using the GGC.

Keywords Geogrid · Geocomposite · Asphalt overlay · Fatigue

V. V. Kumar (B) · J. G. Zornberg

Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin,
Austin, TX 78712, USA
S. Saride
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy,
Telangana 502285, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 611
E. Tutumluer et al. (eds.), Advances in Transportation Geotechnics IV,
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering 165,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77234-5_50
612 V. V. Kumar et al.

1 Introduction and Background

Hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlays are a widely adopted pavement rehabilitation
approach due to their comparatively easy and expeditious construction. However,
HMA overlays are frequently affected by a phenomenon known as reflective cracking,
which has hindered the performance and service life of the rehabilitated pavement
systems [1]. Reflective cracking is a complex phenomenon, which can be defined
as a process of propagation of discontinuities and cracks from the existing, old
distressed pavement layers into and through the new asphalt overlays [2–6]. The
reflection cracks in the overlays often lead to moisture infiltration into the under-
lying layers, deteriorating the base and subgrade layers along with stripping of the
asphalt layers [7, 8]. Previous research has evaluated the practice of restricting the
reflection cracks into the overlays, including the possibility of adopting geosynthetics
at the interface between the old distressed and the new pavement layers [2, 3, 9–11].
Geosynthetics have been reported to provide various functions in pavement systems
such as separation, moisture barrier, reinforcement, filtration, and drainage [12].
Caltabiano [13] performed a series of asphalt beam tests to study the performance
of geogrids and geotextile interlayers in restricting the crack growth into the overlays,
concluding that geosynthetic interlayers extended the performance life of asphalt
overlays. Cleveland et al. [1] reported that the geogrids were more effective than
geotextiles and geocomposites in resisting the crack growth into the overlays. Barraza
et al. [9] and Ogundipe et al. [14] evaluated the effectiveness of various anti-reflective
cracking systems, including geosynthetics and stress-absorbing membrane inter-
layers (SAMI). They reported that all the anti-reflective cracking systems adopted
in that study were effective in retarding reflective cracking and that geogrids outper-
formed the other systems. Besides, Walubita et al. [15] and Kumar and Saride [6]
suggested that geosynthetic interlayers have the potential to improve the fracture
characteristics of asphalt layers.
Virgili et al. [16], Ferrotti et al. [17], and Graziani et al. [10] conducted repeated
four-point bending tests to study the influence of geosynthetics on the performance
of asphalt overlays. They reported the geogrids could effectively retard crack prop-
agation for a substantial performance period. Recently, Saride and Kumar [2, 5],
Kumar and Saride [3, 4] performed beam fatigue tests to understand the influence of
geosynthetics in asphalt overlays placed over existing, old deteriorated asphalt layer.
They reported that the presence of geosynthetic interlayers at the interface of old
and new pavement layers could effectively restrict crack growth into the overlays by
redirecting them in the horizontal direction.
In summary, previous studies have generally considered geosynthetics placed
within asphalt layers, instead of placing them at the interface of old and new pave-
ment layers. In this regard, to better characterize the actual behavior of asphalt over-
lays reinforced with geogrids and geocomposite interlayers, a two-layered asphalt
specimen with geogrid and geocomposite interlayers placed at the interface between
old and new pavement layers was considered in the study presented in this paper.
The primary goal of this study was to understand the behavior of asphalt overlays
Behavior of Asphalt Overlays with Geogrids and Geocomposite … 613

with geogrid and geocomposite interlayer systems using repeated four-point bending
tests.

2 Materials

2.1 Binder Tack Coat and Asphalt Concrete

The binder tack coat adopted in this study was a penetration grade 60/70 bitumen
having a penetration value of 66. The tack coat had a specific gravity of 1.01 and
a softening point of 52 °C. The flash-point and fire-point of the binder were found
to be 340 °C and 365 °C, respectively. The viscosity of the binder was 460 cP at a
temperature of 60 °C.
The asphalt concrete mix adopted in this study was prepared in a asphalt mixing
plant and transported to the laboratory for specimen preparation. The asphalt mix
involved maximum and nominal aggregate sizes of 25 mm and 13 mm, respectively,
with a penetration grade 60/70 bitumen being adopted as a binder. Marshall Stability
tests were performed on the asphalt concrete mix as per ASTM D6927 [18] to estimate
the optimum binder content (OBC), which was determined to correspond to 5.5%
(by weight of the aggregates). The maximum stability and flow value for the asphalt
concrete mix with 5.5% OBC were found to be 14.25 kN and 2.5 mm, respectively.

2.2 Geogrids and Geocomposite Interlayers

This study aimed at understanding the behavior of asphalt overlays reinforced with
geogrid and geocomposite interlayers under repeated four-point bending tests. In
this regard, a glass-geogrid composite (GGC) interlayer, and two different types of
geogrids, namely, a bi-axial polypropylene geogrid (PP) and a bi-axial polyester
geogrid (PET) were adopted. The GGC interlayer consisted of a fiberglass geogrid
with an aperture of 28 mm and continuous non-woven filaments mechanically bonded
together. The GGC interlayer possessed an ultimate tensile strength of 28 kN/m
(machine direction) reached at a strain of 2% and 25 kN/m (cross-machine direction)
at a strain of 1.7%.
The bi-axial polypropylene (PP) geogrid was manufactured by extending the
polypropylene material along the machine and cross-machine directions. The PP
geogrids had a square aperture of 40 mm and an ultimate tensile strength of 30 kN/m
at a strain of 10%, along both machine and cross-machine directions. The bi-axial
polyester (PET) geogrid was manufactured by knitting together high molecular
weight and high tenacity polyester yarns. The PET geogrids had a square aperture
of 18 mm and an ultimate tensile strength of 40 kN/m at a strain of 20%, along both
the machine and cross-machine directions.
614 V. V. Kumar et al.

Fig. 1 Schematic of asphalt

beam specimen and
four-point bending test setup

3 Experimental Program

3.1 Specimen Preparation

The specimens consisted of two asphalt layers, a tack coat, and a geosynthetic inter-
layer at the interface of two asphalt layers. The bottom layer, consisted of an old
pavement layer, which was extruded from an existing highway during the rehabili-
tation program and cut into a slab with dimensions of 400 mm in length, 300 mm
in width, and 45 mm in thickness. A penetration grade 60/70 binder tack coat was
applied over the bottom layer at a residual rate of 0.25 kg/m2 as per India’s ministry of
road transport and highways (MORTH) specifications [19]. The geosynthetic inter-
layer was then placed, as per experimental program, and finally, an HMA overlay
with a thickness of 45 mm was compacted using a 5 kg static weight compactor
having a height of fall of 500 mm. The two-layered asphalt slabs were then cut into
beam specimens with dimensions of 400 mm in length, 50 mm in width, and 90 mm
in thickness. To replicate a crack in the bottom layer, a notch of 25 mm deep (i.e.
55% of the layer thickness) was introduced in the bottom layer of the two-layered
asphalt beam specimens. Figure 1 presents a schematic of the two-layered asphalt
beam specimen adopted in this study. A detailed procedure of two-layered asphalt
specimen preparation for the repeated load tests is provided by Saride and Kumar
[2], and Kumar and Saride [3, 4].

3.2 Repeated Load Four-Point Bending Test

The behavior of asphalt overlays with geogrids and geocomposite interlayer systems
were studied using repeated load four-point bending tests performed on a two-layered
asphalt beam specimen under a load-controlled mode at a temperature of 30 ± 2 °C.
Figure 1 presents a schematic of the four-point bending test setup adopted in the study.
Behavior of Asphalt Overlays with Geogrids and Geocomposite … 615

As shown in the figure, an asphalt beam specimen with a notch having dimensions
of 25 mm in depth and 10 mm in width was made. Loads were applied on the
specimens at a frequency of 1 Hz, and a typical load pattern was adopted to simulate
a live moving traffic condition. In this regard, the maximum load corresponding to a
contact pressure of 550 kPa was calculated using Eq. 1, per ASTM D7460 [20], as
follows:
Pl
σf = (1)
bh 2
where σ f is the maximum flexural stress in kPa (550 kPa), P is the maximum load
applied in kN, l is the span length of the beam in m, b and h are the width and
thickness of the beam in m.
Accordingly, a maximum load of 0.6 kN and a seating load of 0.06 kN was applied
repeatedly to replicate the target live traffic condition. The loads were applied until
complete specimen failure was reached, with the corresponding vertical deformation
at mid-span length of the beam specimen being recorded at the end of each cycle.

4 Results and Discussion

The four-point bending tests performed in a load-controlled mode simulate the flex-
ural fatigue behavior of the asphalt overlays with and without geogrid and geocom-
posite interlayers to understand their response as an anti-reflective cracking system
in asphalt overlays. The repeated load four-point bending test results of the two-
layered asphalt beam specimens are presented in Fig. 2, which depicts the change
in vertical deformation (VD) with increasing number of load cycles (N). It can be
observed that the control specimens (CS) failed after a comparatively small number
of load repetitions, i.e. cracks propagated into the overlays and eventually failed
after about 65 cycles. Instead, the specimens with geogrid and geocomposite inter-
layers could resist a comparatively larger number of load repetitions before failure.
Specifically, the fatigue life of specimens with PP, PET, and GGC interlayers was
about 750, 1250, and 3000, respectively. These results suggest that the presence of
geogrids and geocomposites at the interface between old and new pavement layer
has restricted the vertical deformation and, in turn, have delayed crack develop-
ment for comparatively large performance periods. However, it is important to note
that different geosynthetics have led to different responses. Specifically, the glass
geogrid composite was found to delay crack development longer than PP and PET
geogrids. This superior performance in GGC interlayers may be attributed to their
ability to induce an ultimate tensile strength of 28 kN/m at a strain value as low
as 2%. However, the geogrids were able to develop their ultimate tensile strengths
of 40 kN/m (PET) and 30 kN/m (PP) at strain values as high as 18% (PET) and
12% (PP), respectively. Besides, among the specimens with geogrid interlayers, the
geogrids with a relatively low initial stiffness (PET) showed a superior performance
616 V. V. Kumar et al.

Number of cycles, N
1 10 100 1000 10000
0

CS
2
PP
PET
4 GGC
Vertical deformation (mm)

10

12

14

16

18

Fig. 2 Variation of vertical deflection (VD) with number of cycles (N)

than geogrids with a high initial stiffness (PP). This could be due to the enhanced
interfacial bonding of the PET geogrids with the asphalt layers, resulting in a better
load transfer to the layers below, in comparison with the PP geogrids [2]. Overall,
the geosynthetic-interlayers placed at the interface zone restricted the crack growth
into the overlays by distributing the strain energy (tensile) from the crack tip in the
lateral direction at the interface zone. Hence, an extended fatigue life was achieved.
Further, to quantify the increase in fatigue life of the asphalt specimens with
geogrids and geocomposite interlayers against the control specimens, an improve-
ment ratio (I R ) is quantified. The improvement ratio (I R ) can be defined as the ratio
between the number of load repetitions sustained by a specimen with geogrid or
geocomposite interlayer to that sustained by a control specimen, at the same vertical
deflections. The improvement ratio is expressed as:

NR
IR = (2)
NU

where N R and N U are the number of cycles to fatigue failure of geosynthetic-

reinforced and unreinforced specimens, respectively.
The differences in improvement ratio (I R ) with vertical deformation for the spec-
imens with geogrid and geocomposite interlayers are plotted, as shown in Fig. 3. It
Behavior of Asphalt Overlays with Geogrids and Geocomposite … 617

25

PP
PET
20 GGC
Improvement ratio, IR

15

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Vertical deformation (mm)

Fig. 3 Variation of improvement ratio (I R ) with vertical deformation (VD)

can be observed that I R increases with increasing VD. The improvement in spec-
imen with geocomposite interlayer is observed to be more prominent than that of
specimens with geogrids. For instance, in the GGC specimen, a significant improve-
ment in fatigue life can be observed as early as a VD of 2 mm is reached. Whereas,
in specimens with geogrids, although improvement is observed at small VD, it is
significant after a vertical deformation of 4 mm is reached.
A maximum I R of 24 was obtained in GGC specimen, while a maximum I R of 6
and 3 in PET and PP specimens, respectively, were obtained at a VD of 6 mm. These
differences in the performances of geogrids and geocomposite interlayers may be
attributed to their working tensile properties. The geocomposite interlayer (GGC)
is expected to initiate a reinforcing effect at a vertical deformation of 2 mm and
continue to provide a reinforcing function until failure. Besides, the reinforcing effect
in specimens with geogrid interlayers is observed to be significant after reaching
4 mm vertical deformation, and hence, variation in the fatigue life improvements
can be observed in the figure. Among the specimens with geogrid interlayers, the
PET specimen has shown a better improvement than the PP specimen. This may
be attributed to the ability of PET geogrids to achieve a better interfacial bonding
between the asphalt layers resulting in a better load transfer and, in turn, enhanced
performance.
618 V. V. Kumar et al.

5 Conclusions

The behavior of asphalt layers reinforced with geogrids and geocomposite inter-
layer systems was studied under repeated four-point bending tests, and the following
conclusions can be drawn from the study:
• Both geogrids and geocomposite interlayer systems were found to successfully
improve the fatigue performance of pre-cracked two-layered asphalt beam spec-
imens by retarding reflective cracking. Among them, a superior performance
was observed in the glass geogrid composite interlayer used in this study when
compared with the tested geogrid interlayers.
• Fatigue life of 750, 1250, and 3000 was achieved in PP, PET, and GGC specimens,
respectively, compared to a fatigue life of 65 in the control specimen. This accounts
for an improvement in fatigue life of about 11-fold, 19-fold, and 45-fold in PP,
PET, and GGC specimens, respectively.
• The geosynthetics (geogrids and geocomposite) placed at the interface between
old and new pavement layers restrict the crack growth into the overlays, and as
a result, the cracks were observed to spread along the horizontal direction in the
interface zone.
• Overall, the geosynthetic (geogrids and geocomposite) interlayers were shown to
improve the fatigue characteristics of the asphalt overlays before failure.

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