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A Guide To The
Visual Assessment of
Flexible Pavement
Surface Conditions
7.0m
5.0m
Roads Branch
Public Works Department Malaysia
Jalan Sultan Salahuddin
50582 Kuala Lumpur
A Guide To The Visual Assessement
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY Of Flexible Pavement Surface Conditions
FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In Malaysia as well as in most other countries This guide is prepared by the Pavement
in the world, the road network remains the pre- Research Unit (Head: Ir Mohamed Shafii
dominant mode of transportation facility. To Mustafa). The authors of this guideline are Ir
ensure its continued efficiency and accessibili- Koid Teng Hye, Ir Mohamed Shafii Mustafa,
ty, the road network has to be maintained to a Mohd Sabri Hasim, Abd. Mutalif K. A. Abd.
high standard. Research work carried out at Hameed and Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Malek. The
Institut Kerja Raya Malaysia (IKRAM) has document forms part of a series of guidelines
enable Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Malaysia to on the design, construction and maintenance of
understand and develop improved techniques flexible pavements which the Pavement
for the maintenance of the road network. Research Unit produces as part of their studies.
It is the aspiration of JKR to be able to share The guide was reviewed by a Committee head-
this knowledge with those that are involved in ed by the Director of IKRAM, Ir Ng Chong
road building and maintenance activities. It is Yuen. Other members of the Committee were
therefore my pleasure to introduce this first edi-
tion of A Guide to Visual Assessment of Ir. Han Joke Kwang
Flexible Pavement Surface Conditions. - IKRAM
This guide, which is the first part of a series of Ir. Aik Siaw Kong
guidelines on road maintenance techniques has - Road Maintenance, Roads Branch
a two fold purpose. Firstly, it is to encourage
the usage of common nomenclature for the var- Ir. Tai Meu Choi
ious pavement conditions and secondly it hopes - Road Maintenance, Roads Branch
to promote more effective maintenance works
with the indication of the possible causes of Ir. Zainol Rashid Zainuddin
each different type of pavement distress and - Road Maintenance, Roads Branch;
their probable treatments.
Ir. Lee Swee Kee
It is my hope that this guideline will be of help - Road Design, Roads Branch.
to all who are involved in road maintenance
activities and contribute significantly towards The authors thank the Director General of
better maintenance techniques. Public Works Malaysia for his permission to
publish the guideline.
SEVERITY LEVELS
Moderate severity with lightly
Low
spalled cracks
Interconnected or interlaced hairline cracks
running parallel to each other; cracks not
spalled.
Moderate
A pattern of articulated pieces formed by
cracks that may be lightly spalled. Cracks may
be sealed.
SYNONYM
Ladder cracks.
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Blocks defined by unspalled cracks with a
mean width of 3 mm or less; cracks with
sealant in good condition.
High
Blocks well defined by severely spalled cracks.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
a) area affected.
High severity with severely spalled cracks b) predominant crack width.
c) predominant cell width.
SYNONYM
Line cracks
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Cracks with low severity or no spalling; mean
unsealed crack width of 3 mm or less.
High
Cracks with high severity spalling.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Cracks with low severity or no spalling; mean
Low severity with crack's width unsealed crack width of 3 mm or less; sealant
< 3 mm without any spalling material in good condition.
Moderate
Cracks with moderate severity spalling; mean
unsealed crack width of greater than 3 mm;
sealant material in bad condition.
High
Cracks with high severity spalling.
Moderate severity with
crack's width > 3 mm
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
High severity
with spalling
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Moderate
Cracks with some breakup or ravelling.
High
Cracks with considerable breakup or ravelling
along edge.
SYNONYMS
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Cracks with-no breakup or shoving.
Moderate
Cracks with some breakup or shoving.
Moderate severity with some breakup
High
Cracks with considerable breakup or
shoving.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
3.0. SURFACE DEFORMATIONS The general form of the various types of sur-
face deformation is illustrated in
Deformation takes place when a road surface Figure 2.
undergoes changes from ifs original construct-
ed profile. It may occur after construction due
to trafficking or environmental influences. In
some cases, deformation may be built into a
new pavement owing to inadequate control
during construction. It influences the riding
quality of a pavement and may reflect structur-
al inadequacies. It may lead to cracking of the
surface layer.
i) rutting.
ii) corrugation.
iii) depression.
iv) shoving.
SYNONYMS
Longitudinal rut.
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Rut depths of less than 12 mm (measured
under a transverse 1.2 m straight edge)
Moderate
Rut depths of between 12 mm to 25 mm (may
Moderate severity with rut depths
include slight longitudinal cracks).
between 12 mm to25mm
High
Rut depths of greater than 25 mm (may include
multiple longitudinal or crocodile cracks).
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
SYNONYM
Rippling
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Noticeable (based on observation of its appear-
ance and its effect on riding quality).
Moderate
Rough ride.
Moderate severity causing rough ride
High
Very rough ride. Vehicle may lose control
because of its presence.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
SYNONYM
Distortions.
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Noticeable swaying motion. Good control of
vehicle still present. (Based on the interaction
between vehicle and pavement surface depres-
sion).
Moderate severity with fair
control of vehicle
Moderate
Fair control of vehicle when driving over pave-
ment.
High
Poor control of vehicle when driving over
pavement with driver always having to antici-
pate depression ahead.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
High severity with poor
control of vehicle a) maximum depth under 1.2 m straight
edge.
b) area of depression.
DESCRIPTION
Low
Noticeable. (Based on observation of its
appearance and its effect on riding quality).
Moderate
Rough ride.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
i) bleeding.
ii) ravelling.
iii) polishing.
iv) delamination.
SYNONYMS
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Colouring of pavement surface visible.
Moderate
Distinctive appearance with excess bitumen
Moderate severity with excess already free.
bitumen already free
High
Free bitumen which gives the pavement sur-
face a wet look. Tyre marks are evident.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
a) area affected.
b) percentage by area of stone immersed.
SYNONYM
Fretting.
DESCRIPTION
Low
Wearing away of the aggregate or binder has
started but has not progressed significantly.
Moderate
Aggregate and/or binder has worn away and
the surface texture is becoming rough and pit-
ted. Loose particles generally exist.
Moderate severity with worn
away aggregate and binder High
Aggregate and/or binder has worn away and
the surface texture is very rough and pitted.
MEASUREMENT TO BE TAKEN
a) area affected.
DESCRIPTION
MEASUREMENT TO BE TAKEN
a) area affected.
SYNONYMS
DESCRIPTION
Low
Peeling of the top layer has started but has not
progressed significantly. Surface area peeled
off is less than 0.1 m2.
Moderate
Surface area peeled off is between 0.1 m2 to
2.5 m2. Severe crocodile cracks in and around
Moderate severity with surface area the peeled off area.
peeled off between 0.1 m2 and 2.5 m2
High
A group of more than two (2) moderate delam-
inations along a short stretch of road.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
Low
Patch is in good condition or has low severity
distress of any type. Moderate
Patch has moderate severity distress of any
Patch with moderate severity distress type.
High
Patch has high severity distress of any type.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVELS
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
a) depth of pothole.
b) area of pothole.
c) number of potholes at each severity level.
Moderate severity with depth
between 25 mm to 50 mm and area < 0.3 m2
.
EDGE BREAKS
SEVERITY LEVELS
Not applicable.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
a) length over which break occurs.
b) maximum width of surfacing loss.
DESCRIPTION
SEVERITY LEVEL
Slight drop-off
Not applicable. However, severity levels can be
defined in relation to the height of drop.
MEASUREMENTS TO BE TAKEN
a) height of drop.
b) length affected.
Significant drop-off
GLOSSARY Delamination
Loss of a discrete and large (minimum 0.01
Binder m2) area of the top bituminous layer
Brown or black adhesive mate rial
Depression
Bituminous overlay Localized area within a pavement with eleva-
A method of treat ment where the existing tions lower than the surrounding area
pave ment surface is overlaid with bituminous
materials Edge break
Broken or fretted pavement edge
Bleeding
Identified by a film of bitumi nous material on Edge crack
the pavement surface that creates a shiny, Fracture along the pavement edge
glass-like, reflective surface that nay be tacky
to the touch Edge drop-off
The difference in elevation between the traffic
Block crack lane and the shoulder
The occurrence of cracks that divide the bitu-
minous surface into approximately rectangular Hairline crack
pieces, typically 0.1 m2 or more in size A fracture that is very narrow in width
Shoving
Permanent, longitudinal displacement of a
localized area of the pavement surface caused
by traffic pushing against the pavement
Spalling
Breaking or cutting off small pieces from the
pavement surface
Transverse
Perpendicular to the centre line of the pave-
ment
REFERENCES