Abstract
Semi-rigid base is widely used in asphalt pavement construction, because they provide the potential to reduce rutting and lower pavement construction budgets. However, questions remain about the long-term performance of asphalt pavements with a semi-rigid base in terms of their propensity for transverse cracking. This study presents the results of a long-term field investigation of transverse cracking. The study collected 202 field cores extracted from 14 field test roads, and covers different pavement ages, traffic volumes, and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) content across eastern China. Data regarding crack spacings, lengths, and propagation over time were obtained, while crack widths, depths, and patterns were analyzed using the field cores. The results show that crack spacings tend to be dense over the years until reaching an extreme value and the crack propagation can be clearly divided into three stages (0–4 years for initiation, 4–8 years for steady development, and a boost after 8 years) for the projects evaluated. The transverse crack can be categorized into four categories: surface-initiated cracking, reflective cracking with small area unpenetrated, reflective cracking, and thermal cracking. Surface-initiated cracking is the primary crack pattern found in asphalt pavements constructed with a semi-rigid base. A finite-element model was constructed, and the simulation results indicate that the surface-initiated crack tends to appear if the modulus of the base layer is higher, the asphalt top layer is more aged, the thickness above the base layer was thicker, or the cooling rate was faster.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Shen, S., Zhang, W., Wang, H., & Huang, H. (2017). Numerical evaluation of surface-initiated cracking in flexible pavement overlays with field observations. Road Materials and Pavement Design, 18, 221–234.
Ma, T., Wang, H., He, L., Zhao, Y., Huang, X., & Chen, J. (2017). Property characterization of asphalt binders and mixtures modified by different crumb rubbers. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 29, 04017036.
Ma, T., Zhang, D., Zhang, Y., Wang, S., & Huang, X. H. (2018). Simulation of wheel tracking test for asphalt mixture using discrete element modelling. Road Materials and Pavement Design, 19, 367–384.
Hong, F., Chen, D. H., & Mikhail, M. M. (2010). Long-term performance evaluation of recycled Asphalt pavement results from texas. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2180, 58–66.
Uhlmeyer, J. S., Willoughby, K., Pierce, L. M., & Mahoney, J. P. (2000). Top-Down Cracking in Washington State Asphalt Concrete Wearing Courses. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/10.3141/1730-13
West, R., Rodezno, C., Julian, G., & Prowell, B. (2014). Engineering properties and field performance of warm mix asphalt technologies. Publication NCHRP Report 09–47A. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies.
Shen, S. H., Zhang, W. G., Wu, S. H., Mohammad, L., & Muhunthan, B. (2017). Long-term field performance of flexible pavements using warm mix asphalt technologies. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, 87, 163–198.
Zhang, W., Shen, S., Wu, S., & Mohammad, L. N. (2017). Long-term field aging of warm-mix and hot-mix asphalt binders. Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2632, 140–149.
Zhang, W., Cui, B., Gu, X., & Dong, Q. (2018). Comparison of relaxation modulus converted from frequency- and time-dependent viscoelastic functions through numerical methods. Applied Sciences, 8, 2447.
Zhang, W., Shen, S., & Wu, S. (2018). Comparison of the relative long-term field performance among various warm mix asphalt (WMA) pavements. Transportation Research Record, 2672(28), 200–210.
Zhang, W., Shen, S., Wu, S., Chen, X., Xue, J., & Mohammad, L. N. (2019). Effects of in-place volumetric properties on field rutting and cracking performance of asphalt pavement. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 31(8), 04019150.
Lytton, R. L., Tasi, F. L., Lee, S. I., Luo, R., Hu, S., & Zhou, F. J. (2010). NCHRP report 669: Models for predicting reflection cracking of hot-mix asphalt overlays. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies.
Timm, D. H., Guzina, B. B., & Voller, V. R. (2003). Prediction of thermal crack spacing. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 40, 125–142.
AASHTO.,. (2008). Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide-A manual of practice. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Lytton, R. L., Uzan, J., Femando, E. G., Roque, R., Hiltunen, D., & Stoffels, S. M. (1993). Development and validation of performance prediction models and specifications for asphalt binders and paving mixes. Publication SHRP-A-357. Strategic Highway Research Program National Research Council.
Svasdisant, T., Schorsch, M., Baladi, G., & Pinyosunun, S. (2002). Mechanistic analysis of top-down cracks in asphalt pavements. Transportation Research Record, 1809, 126–136.
Park, H., & Kim, Y. (2013). Investigation into top-down cracking of asphalt pavements in North Carolina. Transportation Research Record, 2368, 45–55.
Zhang, W., Bahadori, A., Shen, S., Wu, S., Muhunthan, B., & Mohammad, L. (2018). Comparison of laboratory and field asphalt aging for polymer-modified and warm-mix asphalt binders. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 30(7), 04018150.
Myers, L. A., Roque, R., & Ruth, B. E. (1998). Mechanisms of surface-initiated longitudinal wheel path cracks in high-type bituminous pavements. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, 67, 401–432.
Hiltunen, D. R., & Roque, R. (1994). A Mechanics-based prediction model for thermal crack of asphaltic concrete pavements. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, 63, 81–117.
Zhang, R., et al. (2021). Evaluation of the correlations between laboratory measured material properties with field cracking performance for asphalt pavement. Journal of Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.124126
Zhang, W., et al. (2019). Effects of in-place volumetric properties on field rutting and cracking performance of asphalt pavement. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002767
Miller, J. S., & Bellinger, W. Y. (2014). Distress identification manual for the long-term pavement performance program. Publication FHWA-HRT-13-092. Cham: FHWA, US Office of Infrastructure Research and Development.
Zhen, J. (2013). Design guide for semirigid pavements in China based on critical state of asphalt mixture. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 25, 899–906.
Kim, Y., Underwood, S., & Farrar, M. (2018). Long-term aging of asphalt mixtures for performance testing and prediction. Publication NCHRP Report 871. Transportation Research Board.
Ding, X., Chen, L., Ma, T., Ma, H., Gu, L., Chen, T., & Ma, Y. (2019). Laboratory investigation of the recycled asphalt concrete with stable crumb rubber asphalt binder. Construction and Building Materials., 203, 552–557.
Funding
This research is supported by the National Key Research and Development Project, under Grant No. 2020YFA0714302, and the project funded by China Road & Bridge Corporation (with Grant No. CRBC/KHM/2021/053), the project is also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China with grant number of 52278443.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Hu, Z., Zhang, W. & Peng, T. Transverse Crack Patterns of Long-Term Field Asphalt Pavement Constructed with Semi-rigid Base. Int. J. Pavement Res. Technol. 17, 353–365 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-022-00240-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-022-00240-4