Density Evaluation of the Longitudinal Construction Joint of Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavements

Details

• Creators:
  Estakhri, Cindy K. ; Freeman, Thomas J. ; Spiegelman, Clifford H.
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas Department of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Asphalt Concrete Pavements Density Hot Mix Asphalt Joint Construction Joint Density Longitudinal Joints Road Construction
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-01/1757-1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Texas ; United States
• Edition:
  September 1999 - August 2000
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University
• Abstract:
  When placing hot-mix asphalt concrete (HMAC), paving the full width of the pavement in a single pass is usually impossible; therefore, most bituminous pavements contain longitudinal construction joints. These construction joints can often be inferior to the rest of the pavement and can eventually cause an otherwise sound pavement to deteriorate more quickly. The objectives of this project were to (1) assess the density along the longitudinal construction joint of several Texas pavements to determine if a problem exists; (2) document information from the literature; (3) synthesize aviation construction data where a history of a joint density specification exists to determine if such a requirement can be met by paving contractors; and (4) modify current HMAC specifications to require joint density measurements if justification is verified. Results of this project confirmed what was found in the literature: there is an area of low density in the edge of the lane paved first. Field evaluations conducted on 35 Texas pavements in this project found that the density was always lower at the unconfined edge than in the middle of the lane and this was almost always statistically significant. This difference in density could range from 2 to 12 lbs. per cubic ft but the average was about 6 to 7 lbs. per cubic ft (or 4 to 5 percentage points). Aviation data analyzed in this project indicate that contractors are routinely able to meet the joint density requirements as specified in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) P-401 specification. The data in this project provide for a very strong indication that a joint density specification is justified.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-1757
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:146a40f162a2cd90baaebc59ce69ef167e55b95a92c3d67581068ae17d7590035cb00c07dee505ca0994d1ba3d24fa13fe5a86c2c1a01ee252f87f3baeb1c343
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/86119/dot_86119_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.41 MB ]