EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE PAVEMENT JOINT OPENING AND FREEZING ON SEALANTS

The primary purposes of joint sealing in jointed concrete pavements are to minimize moisture infiltration through the joints, to reduce moisture-related distress (such as pumping), and to prevent the intrusion of incompressible material into joints to minimize pressure-related distress (such as spalling). However, the dilemma of whether “to seal or not to seal” has frequently arisen since the benefit of improvement in pavement performance with joint sealing could not be clearly demonstrated in a number of previous studies. Premature failure of sealant has been considered as a major cause of the ineffectiveness of joint seal. Poor construction quality and material properties of sealant have been considered as problems that induce the premature failure of joint seal. In this study, other causes, which are related to the shortcomings of the AASHTO joint seal design method, which may induce premature failure of joint seal, are addressed. The first cause is in situ joint openings larger than AASHTO predictions...