Lecture Objectives

Portland Cement Concrete ! Learning Objectives:

• Discuss portland cement concrete pavement
Pavement Distresses and distresses/failures.
• Discuss preservation treatments associated with
Failures each portland cement concrete pavement distress.

By:
Curtis F. Berthelot Ph.D., P.Eng.
Department of Civil Engineering

Transportation Transportation
Research Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Research
Centre Failures Centre 2

Joint Joint
Deterioration/Blowups Deterioration/Blowups
! Description:
• Cracking of pavement near joint.
• Buckling of pavement due to restrained slab
expansion if severe.
! Severity:
• Defined by the effect on ride quality and safety.

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 3 Failures Centre 4

Joint Joint
Deterioration/Blowups Deterioration/Blowups
! Causes:
• Excessive slab bending and curling.
• Excessive thermal expansion and contraction.
• Long joint spacing.
• Poor saw cutting or saw cutting timing.
• Insufficient bearing support.
• Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing.
• Swelling/shrinkage of subgrade.
• Pumping at joints.
• Seal failure.
• Incompressibles in the seal cavity.
• Frost action.

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PCCP Failures and Distresses 1

 Joint Joint
Deterioration/Blowups Deterioration/Blowups

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Failures Centre 7 Failures Centre 8

Joint
Durability “D” Cracking
Deterioration/Blowups
! Description:
• Closely spaced crescent shaped hairline cracks that
occur adjacent to joints, cracks, and free edges.
• Initiate at slab corners and migrate across the
pavement.
• Usually result in dark coloring of the pavement
surface.
! Severity:
• Low: “D” cracks light; no loose or missing material;
no patching in the affected area.
• Moderate: “D” cracks are well defined; some small
pieces are loose or may have been displaced.
• High: “D” cracking has a well-developed pattern;
significant loose or missing material; displaced pieces.
Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 9 Failures Centre 10

Durability “D” Cracking Durability “D” Cracking

! Causes:
• Lateral slab contraction, bending and curling.
• Thermal expansion and contraction.
• Insufficient bearing support.
• Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing.
• Swelling/shrinkage of subgrade.
• Pumping at joints.
• Excessive compressive stresses.
• Frost action.

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 11 Failures Centre 12

PCCP Failures and Distresses 2

 Durability “D” Cracking Corner Breaks
! Description:
• When a crack intersects both adjacent transverse and
longitudinal joints of the pavement slab.
• Occur at approximately 45° to the corner.
! Severity:
• Low: no spalling for more than 10% of crack length;
no measurable faulting; corner piece is not broken.
• Moderate: spalling at low severity for more than 10%
of crack length; faulting ≤ 13 mm; corner piece is not
broken.
• High: spalling at moderate severity for more than
10% of crack length; faulting ≤ 13 mm; corner piece
is broken into two or more pieces.
Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 13 Failures Centre 14

Corner Breaks Corner Breaks

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 15 Failures Centre 16

Corner Breaks Longitudinal Cracking

! Causes: ! Description:
• Insufficient bearing support at corner. • Cracks that occur parallel to the direction of traffic.
• Swelling/shrinkage of subgrade. ! Severity:
• Pumping. • Low: Crack widths <3 mm; no spalling; no
• Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing. measurable faulting; well sealed; crack width cannot
• Frost action. be determined.
• Moderate: Crack widths >3 mm <13 mm; spalling
<75 mm; faulting <13mm.
• High: Crack widths ≥13 mm; spalling ≥75 mm;
faulting ≥13mm.

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PCCP Failures and Distresses 3

 Longitudinal Cracking Longitudinal Cracking
! Causes:
• Poor longitudinal joint construction and sealing.
• Excessive thermal contraction/expansion.
• Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing.
• Swelling/shrinkage of subgrade soil.
• Pumping at joint.

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 19 Failures Centre 20

Transverse Cracking Transverse Cracking

! Description:
• Cracks that are predominantly perpendicular to the
direction of traffic.
! Transverse Cracking:
• Low: Crack width <3 mm; no spalling; no
measurable faulting; well sealed.
• Moderate: Crack width >3 mm and <6 mm; spalling
<75 mm; faulting up to 6 mm.
• High: Crack width ≥6 mm; spalling ≥75 mm; faulting
≥6mm.

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 21 Failures Centre 22

Transverse Cracking Block/Map Cracking

! Causes: ! Description:
• Poor transverse joint construction and sealing. • Series of cracks in relatively large block patterns.
• Long joint spacing. • Only exist in the upper portion of the slab.
• Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing. ! Causes:
• Excessive thermal contraction/expansion. • Severe traffic loading.
• Swelling/shrinkage of subgrade soil. • Poor surface finish.
• Frost action. • Excessive concrete shrinkage during curing.
• Excessive thermal contraction/expansion.
• Frost action.

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PCCP Failures and Distresses 4

 Faulting of Transverse Faulting of Transverse
Joints and Cracks Joints and Cracks
! Description:
• Differential settlement/rise of adjacent slabs across
joints or cracks.
! Severity:
• Defined by differential slab height.
! Causes:
• Pumping.
• Poor load transfer.
• Lack of subgrade support.
• Frost action.

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 25 Failures Centre 26

Faulting of Transverse
Spalling
Joints and Cracks
! Description:
• Excessive slab breakdown of the pavement slab
immediately adjacent to the joint.
• Cracking, breaking and chipping result from
spalling.
! Severity:
• Low: spalls <75 mm measured to the center of the
joint; spalls with no loss of materials and no
patching.
• Moderate: spalls >75 mm to 150 mm measured to the
center of the joint; some loss of material.
• High: spalls >150 mm measured to the center of the
Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project
joint; loss of material.
Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 27 Failures Centre 28

Spalling Spalling

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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PCCP Failures and Distresses 5

 Spalling Popouts
! Causes:
• High deflections of slab at edges and at joints.
• Poor joint load transfer.
• Incompressibles in the joint cavity.
• Poor slab support.
• Misaligned dowels.
• Constrained dowels.

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 31 Failures Centre 32

Popouts Popouts
! Description: ! Causes:
• Small pieces of pavement broken loose from • Frost action.
pavement surface. • Severe cold temperature contraction.
• Popouts usually range from 25 mm to 100 mm in • Moisture expansion in voids during freeze up.
diameter and may be up to 50 mm deep (not just a
single piece of aggregate).
! Severity:
• Defined by intensity of popouts over specified area.

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 33 Failures Centre 34

Lane to Shoulder
Lane-to-Shoulder Dropoff
Dropoff/Separation
! Description:
• Difference in elevation between the traveled lanes
and the shoulder.
! Causes:
• Loss of support at pavement edge.
• Excessive traffic on pavement edge.
• Poor edge construction.

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 35 Failures Centre 36

PCCP Failures and Distresses 6

 Lane-to-Shoulder Dropoff Punchouts
! Description:
• Area enclosed by two closely spaced transverse
cracks that drops (fails) as a block.
! Causes:
• Two closely spaced transverse cracks.
• Pumping.
• Severe block cracking.

Ref: SHRP P-338 Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Project

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 37 Failures Centre 38

Punchouts Scaling
! Description:
• Deterioration of upper concrete slab surface and loss
of fine aggregate from concrete mix.
! Causes:
• Frost action.
• Non air entrained concrete.
• Poor finishing.
• Excessive salting.
• Severe traffic abrasion.

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Distresses and Transportation
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Failures Centre 39 Failures Centre 40

Settlements/Sagging Settlements/Sagging
! Description:
• Loss of longitudinal profile.
• Areas of pavement surface that have settled and/or
been patched.
! Causes:
• Utility settlements.
• Poorly compacted substructure.
• Differential settlement/heave.
• Lack of subgrade support.
• Water infiltration.
• Pumping.

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PCCP Failures and Distresses 7

 Settlements/Sagging Discussion
Accountability. Not a very popular word these
days. Few people like the idea of taking full
responsibility for their actions. However, without
personal and corporate accountability, we run the
very real risk of losing everything we have worked
so hard to gain. Each person needs to carry a part
of the load. We believe in and practice
accountability, so that our actions match our
words.

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PCCP Failures and Distresses 8