Winter tenting of highway pavements : test program and discussion of causes and mechanisms

Details

• Creators:
  Kestler, Maureen A. ; Krat, Audrey S. ; Roberts, Glenn E.
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Deicing Salts Frost Action Frost Heave Heaving Lipping Pavement Cracks Pavement Maintenance Tenting
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-NH-RD-12323C
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Edition:
  Final report
• Corporate Publisher:
  US Army Corps of Engineers. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.)
• Abstract:
  Tenting consists of localized frost heaving in the immediate vicinity of transverse pavement cracks. It produces a highly irregular riding
  
  surface, leads to premature pavement-surface deterioration, occurs on highways designed for high traffic volumes and to withstand freezing
  
  and thawing, and is frequently exhibited by pavements in otherwise good condition.
  
  The objective of the project discussed was to investigate causes and mechanics of the phenomenon. Several transverse cracks at four test
  
  sites were monitored for salt concentration, moisture content, subsurface temperature, freezing point depression, and heaving throughout
  
  several winter/spring seasons.
  
  Tenting on NH highways was determined to be a near-surface phenomenon caused by a complex combination of factors, with the underlying
  
  cause being intrusion of road salt-sand mix into the base course. Available water (meltwater and precipitation serving as a transport
  
  medium), cracked asphalt (providing a water entry point), salt-sand mix (for winter road maintenance), freeze-thaw cycling of the base
  
  course (due to temperature fluctuations and saline-induced freezing point depression), and the phase diagram of NaCl (salt coming out of
  
  solution as freezing occurs, thereby increasing salt concentration adjacent to the freezing front, increasing the freezing point depression even
  
  further) all appear to be necessary components for tenting to occur.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  12323C, SPR-0004(6)
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:d3aa84a3ca366998918d87b9688c107ffa80ae49fb9ae4518d9cf2e859c15691
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/14810/dot_14810_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.98 MB ]