Flexible Pavement Distress

by
Dr. V. Sunitha
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering

5-Apr-19 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

Visual Distress: Flexible Pavements
 Pavement Failure
Failure in sub grade
Excessive deformation in sub-grade soil due to insufficient
bearing capacity or a shear failure in sub-grade soil.
• Inadequate Stability
– inherent weakness of soil itself,
– excessive moisture
– improper compaction
• Excessive application of Stress –
consolidation deformation
• Plastic deformation

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 Failure in Sub Base –Base Course
 Inadequate Stability
 Poor mix proportion , inadequate stability, poor gradient
 Loss of Binding action
 Repeated stress Application
 Internal movement of aggregate in base or sub base
 Loss of Bearing Course Materials
 When Wearing course materials worn out
 Inadequate Wearing Course
 Use of inferior materials
 Lack of lateral confinement of granular base course

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 Failure of wearing course
• Improper mix design
• Poor quality control
• Volatilization and oxidation of binder
• Improper gradation of aggregates
• Inadequate binder content
• Inferior type of binder etc.

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 Typical Flexible Pavement Failures

1. Surface 2. Surface 3. Cracking's 4. Patching

Deformation Defects and
Potholes

1. Shoving 1. Bleeding 1. Fatigue /alligator 1. Patch

2. Corrugation Flushing crack detorition
3. Rutting 2. Ravelling 2. Block Cracking 2. Potholes
4. Depression 3. Polishing 3. Longitudnal
4. Surface lifting Cracking
/ Seal Break 4. Transverse(therm
/Upheaval al ) Cracking
5. Water 5. Edge Cracking
bleeding and /Edge Break
pumping /Edge drop offs
6. Crescent shape
/slippage cracks
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 Surface Deformation
1.1 Shoving :
•Formation of waves across a pavement,
• Occur at severe horizontal stresses like intersection

Possible Causes
 Excess asphalt
 too much fine aggregate;
rounded aggregate;
 Low modulus of base course ,
thin wearing course
 High stress due to braking and
acceleration
Probable Treatment
 Partial or full depth patch
 Reconstruction of base
 Bituminous overlay
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 1.2 Corrugations :
•Transverse ridges and valleys (or ripples) occurring at regular Intervals,
• Usually occurs at points where traffic starts and stops
Possible Causes
• Inadequate stability of bituminous
surface
• Heavy traffic on steep downgrade
or upgrade
• Inadequate stability of base course
• Compaction of base in wave form
Probable Treatment
• Base reconstruction
• Mill off the corrugated surface and
replace with the stiffer mix or use
hot mix asphalt
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 1.3 Rutting :
•Surface/channelized depressions in the wheel-tracks,
• evident after a rain when they are filled with water
Possible Causes
• Inadequate pavement
thickness
• Unsuitable bituminous mixes
• consolidation or lateral
movement of any layer due to
traffic loading
• Insufficient compaction
Probable Treatment
• Strengthening overlay or
reconstruction
• Base or sub base
strengthening 9
 1.4 Depression :
• Surface areas with slightly lower elevations than the surrounding
pavement
•Usually on left lane and shoulder
Possible Causes
• Differential settlement of subgrade
or base materials
• Volume change of subgrade due to
environmental influences
• settlement due to instability of
embankment
Probable Treatment
• Applying a thin surface patch
• Base or subgrade reconstruction
• Embankment stabalization and
drainage improvement

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 2.Surface Defects
2.1 Bleeding/ Flushing:
•shiny, glass-like reflecting surface , thin sticky bitumen layer
•Loss of skid resistance when wet

Possible Causes
• Excessive asphalt in the
surface layer
• Lack of proper rolling during
placement
Probable Treatment
• Applying coarse sand
• cutting off excess asphalt with
a motor grader or removing it
with a heater planer
• Resurfacing the asphalt 11
 2.2 Ravelling (very porous asphalt):
• Separation of aggregate particles in a pavement from the surface
downward or from the edges inward

Possible Causes
• Insufficient bitumen content
• Inadequate compaction or
construction during wet
weather
• Poor adhesion of bitumen
binder
Probable Treatment
• Thin bituminous overlay

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 2.3 Polishing:
• surface consisting of rough exposed aggregates

Possible Causes
• Inadequate resistance to
polishing of surface aggregates
• Use of naturally smooth
uncrushed aggregates
• Repeated traffic on an aging
pavement system
Probable Treatment
• The bituminous overlay of use
of stiffer mix

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 2.4 Surface lifting /Seal Break/Upheaveal:
• Upward movement in a pavement
Possible Causes
• Inadequate cleaning or
inadequate tack cot before
placement of upper layers
• Adhesion of surface binder to
vehicle tyres
• Seepage of water through
asphalt swelling of the subgrade
Probable Treatment
• Reconstruction of weak layer
• Thin bituminous overlay

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2.5 Water Bleeding and pumping :
•Water seeps out of joints or cracks or through an excessively porous
•Water and fine material is ejected from underlying layers through cracks
•Decreased skid resistance, decreased structural support

Possible Causes
• High water table
• Poor drainage
• Poor mix design and compaction
Probable Treatment
• slurry seal to limit water
infiltration
• Lower water table and good
drainage

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 3. Cracks
3.1 Fatigue /Alligator /Crocodile crack:
•load associated structural failure cracks allow moisture
infiltration, roughness, may further deteriorate to a pothole
•Repeated loading, the longitudinal cracks connect forming
many-sided sharp-angled piece like crocodile
Possible Causes
 Inadequate pavement thickness
 Increase in loading
 Brittle base and wearing course
 Poor base drainage and
inadequate structural design
Probable Treatment
 Strengthen the pavement or
reconstruction
 Base recycling or reconstruction 16
 3.2 Block Cracking :
•Large interconnected rectangles (roughly) is not load-associated, but
generally caused by shrinkage of the asphalt pavement
Possible Causes
• Joints in underlying layer
• Shrinkage and fatigue of underlying
cemented materials
• Shrinkage cracks (due to bitumen
hardening) in bituminous surfacing

Probable Treatment
• Crushed aggregate overlay
• Replace underlying cemented
materials
• Cut and patch or crushed aggregate
overlay

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 3.3 Longitudinal Cracking :
•Cracks that are parallel to the pavements centerline
Possible Causes
• Reflection of shrinkage cracks
• Displacement of joints at
pavement widening
• Differential settlement
between cut and fill
Probable Treatment
• Cut and patch
• Replace bituminous surfacing
• Crushed aggregate overlay or
reconstruction of joints.
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 3.4 Transverse or thermal Cracking :
•Perpendicular to the pavement's centerline
•Induced by daily temperature cycles, and poor construction
Possible Causes
• Reflection of shrinkage cracks
• Construction joint in
bituminous surfacing
• Shrinkage crack bituminous
surfacing
• Reflection of joints in the
underlying base
Probable Treatment
• Cut and patch
• Crack sealant
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3.5 Edge Cracks /Edge Breaks /Edge Drop off :
•Edge Cracks travel along the inside edge of a pavement surface
within one or two feet
Possible Causes
• Poor drainage conditions and lack of
support at the pavement edge
• Excessive traffic loading at the
pavement edge
• Inadequate pavement width
• Insufficient bearing support
• Edge drop-off
• Heavy vegetation along the
pavement
Probable Treatment
• Widen the pavement or strengthen
the pavement edge
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• Improve drainage and shoulder
 3.6 Crescent /Parabolic /Slippage /Shear cracks :
•Slippage cracks are crescent-shaped cracks or tears in the surface
layer(s) of asphalt where the new material has slipped over the
underlying course
Possible Causes
• Lack of bond between wearing
course and the underlying layer
• Thin wearing course
• High stress due to braking and
acceleration movements
• By dirt, oil, or other contaminants
preventing adhesion
Probable Treatment
• Partial or full depth patch
• Reconstruction of base
• Bituminous overlay 22
 4.Patching and Potholes
4.1 Patch deterioration :
•An area of pavement that has been replaced with new material
to repair the existing pavement.
•A patch is considered a defect no matter how well it perform
Possible Causes
 Inadequate cleaning or
inadequate tack cot before
placement of upper layers
 Weak, loose layer immediately
underlying seal
 Break the bond between surface
and lower layers
Probable Treatment
 Reconstruction of weak layers
 Mill off and re-lay upper layers
 Replace wearing course or thin
bituminous overlay
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 4.2 Pot Holes:
•Small, bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface that
penetrate all the way through the asphalt layer down to the base
course

Possible Causes
 Loss of surface course
 Moisture entry to base course
through a cracked pavement
surface
 Load associated disintegration of
base
Probable Treatment
 Patching
 Cut and patch
 Base reconstruction
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Thank you

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