Pavement Distresses

Flexible Pavement
Cracking
Types
Fatigue
Thermal/Transverse
Block
Edge
Longitudinal
Reflection
Slippage
Fatigue Cracking
Causes
Insufficient strength
End of pavement life
Too heavy of loads
Cures
Remove and replace
Mill and overlay
Thermal Cracking (Transverse)
Causes
Contraction and
Expansion of Pavement
with Changing
Temperatures
Cures
Crack Filling
Full-Depth Reclamation
Thick Overlay
Block Cracking
Causes
High Void Content
Oxidative Hardening of the AC
Thermal Cracking
Cures
Crack Filling/Sealing
Seal Coat
Full-Depth Reclamation
Thick Overlay
Edge Cracking

Causes
Soil Movement Beneath
Pavement
Cures
Crack Filling/Sealing
Full-Depth Reclamation
Longitudinal Cracks

Causes
Low Temperatures
Cures
Crack Sealing
Thick Overlay
Reflective Cracking
Causes
Existing cracks or joints in
the underlying structure
Concrete slab movements
Cures
Crack Filling
Extensive Pre-Overlay
Repair
Rubblizing
Crack & Seat
Saw & Seal
Interlayer
Slippage Cracking
Description
U-shaped cracks in areas of braking, turning, accelerating
Causes
Poor bond between asphalt surface and underlying layer
Cures
Crack Filling/Sealing
Full-Depth Reclamation
Surface Defects
Rutting
Shoving
Bleeding
Polished Aggregate
Raveling
Potholes
Patching
Rutting
Causes
Low Air Voids
Asphalt content
too high
Smooth, Rounded Aggregate
Excessive amounts
of natural sand
Excess Dust
Cures
Remove/Replace 100 mm (4 inches)
Micro-surfacing
Shoving
Causes
Unstable Mix
Braking, stopping or
accelerating traffic
Slippage between layers
Cures
Remove and Replace
Mill and Overlay
Thick Overlay
Bleeding
Causes
Too high asphalt content
too rich a plant mix
improperly
constructed seal coat
too heavy prime or
tack coat
Cures
Sand blot
Micro-surfacing
Seal coat
Polished Aggregate
Causes
Soft aggregate
Heavy traffic
Cures
Seal coat
Micro-surfacing
Thin Overlay
Raveling
Causes
Asphalt binder unable to hold
aggregate in place
dusty aggregates
segregation
low in-place density
aged asphalt binder
Stripping
Cures
Seal Coat
Micro-surfacing
Thin Overlay
Potholes
Causes
Raveling of cracks
Moisture damage
Freeze-thaw
Insufficient strength
Cures
Patch
Patch Deterioration
Causes
Poor bonding to existing
pavement
Improper compaction
Poor materials
Propagation of
original distress
Cures
Remove and replace
Re-patch
Assess original distress
Miscellaneous Distresses
Lane-to-shoulder Drop off
Water Bleeding and
Pumping
Lane to Shoulder Drop off
Cause
Differences in materials
used for lane and shoulder
Differential settlement
Insufficient compaction of
base
Cures
Wedge/leveling overlay
Micro-surfacing
Water Bleeding and Pumping
Causes
Cracks
Inadequate drainage
Cures
Full-depth patch
Crack seal