Joint Sealant and Structural Performance at the Ohio Route 50 Test Pavement

Abstract

The performance of joint sealants and the structural condition of the pavement at the Ohio Route 50 test site after 3 years in service are reported. The project involved 10 different sealant compounds (4 silicone, 2 hot-applied, and 4 compression seals) and 4 unsealed sections. A total of 15 different sealant-joint configuration combinations are examined. Compression seals generally outperformed the other sealants, and sealants in the westbound lanes were more effective than those in the east-bound lanes. These observations suggest that crew experience in sealant installation is a critical factor. Nonetheless, structural performance and surface profile smoothness appeared to be unrelated to sealant condition. Many of the sealant sections with high effectiveness values also exhibited high percentages of structural distresses and decreases in pavement surface smoothness. Flooding after intense rainfall may have softened the subgrade and caused transverse cracking and corner breaks. Implementing a drainage outlet maintenance program that includes cleaning silt and debris from the outlets annually is recommended. Unraveling the complex interactions of all these factors calls for long-term monitoring of both sealant and structural performance.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Smith

K. L.

, Pozsgay

M. A.

, Evans

L. D.

, and Romine

A. R.

. Long-Term Monitoring of SHRP SPS-4 Pavement Maintenance Materials Test Sites, SPS-4 Supplemental Joint Seal Experiment Final Report. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1999.

Hawkins

B. K.

, Ioannides

A. M.

, and Minkarah

I. A.

. To Seal or Not to Seal? A Field Experiment to Resolve an Age-Old Dilemma. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1749, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2001, pp. 38–45.

Ioannides

A. M.

, Sander

J. A.

, and Minkarah

I. A.

. The Ohio HPCP Joint Sealant Experiment. In Proc., Seventh International Conference on Concrete Pavement Design and Rehabilitation, International Society for Concrete Pavements, Orlando, Fla., Sept. 9-13, 2001, Vol. 2, pp. 1045–1059.

Ioannides

A. M.

, and Minkarah

I. A.

. Ohio Route 50 Joint Sealant Experiment Final Report. FHWA/OH-2002/019, State Job No. 14668(0). Ohio Department of Transportation, Columbus, 2002.

Shahin

M. Y.

Pavement Management for Airports, Roads, and Parking Lots. Chapman & Hall, New York, 1994.

Ioannides

A. M.

Analysis of Slabs-on-Grade for a Variety of Loading and Support Conditions. Ph.D. thesis. University of Illinois, Urbana, 1984.

Khazanovich

, and Ioannides

A. M.

. DIPLOMAT: Analysis Program for Bituminous and Concrete Pavements. In Transportation Research Record 1482, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1995, pp. 52–60.

Shober

S. F.

The Great Unsealing: A Perspective on Portland Cement Concrete Joint Sealing. In Transportation Research Record 1597, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1997, pp. 22–30.