PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE TREATEMENTS

1. Crack Sealing: This treatment involves filling cracks in the pavement to

prevent water and debris from entering and causing further damage. It’s a
preventative measure that can significantly extend the pavement’s life by
preventing moisture-related deterioration.

● Crack sealing is the process of placing an adhesive sealant into

cracks on the pavement surface, preventing the infiltration of
moisture and non-compressible materials into the pavement.
● Clean the crack thoroughly, apply the sealant, and smooth with a
putty knife. Allow adequate drying time before exposing to
moisture.

2. Patch Repairs: Patching is a common repair method for addressing

localised areas of distress, such as potholes, ravelling, or large cracks.

● A patch is an area where the original pavement has been

removed and replaced by a filler material.

3. Surface Seals: Surface seal treatments, including fog seals, slurry seals,
and chip seals, are applied over the pavement surface to seal small cracks,
improve weather resistance, and renew the road surface. These treatments
can enhance skid resistance and protect the pavement from oxidation and
water penetration.

● seals an existing bituminous surface against the intrusion of air

and water.
● enriches an existing dry or raveled surface.

● arrests the deterioration of a surface showing signs of distress.

● provides a skid-resistant surface.

● provides the desired surface texture.

● A fog seal is an application of a specially formulated asphalt

emulsion (a thin liquid oil) to an existing asphalt pavement
surface. A fog seal gets its name from its spray application,
sometimes referred to as “fogging.”
● A slurry seal is the application of a mixture of water, asphalt
emulsion, aggregate (very small crushed rock), and additives to
an existing asphalt pavement surface. A slurry seal is similar to a
fog seal except the slurry seal has aggregates as part of the
mixture.
● Chip sealing is a cost-effective way to maintain streets and saves
significant dollars on future repair costs. Chip sealing puts a
 coating of asphalt oil and fine crushed rock over the existing
pavement to protect the street surface from water and weather
damage, and to keep the roads in good condition.

4. Surface Dressing: Surface dressing is normally a periodic maintenance

activity that uses mechanised methods and can be used for dealing with a
large surface area where:

● The surface is extensively worn

● The surface has become permeable or cracked, allowing water to

penetrate the base and cause deterioration
● There is inadequate surface texture so that skid resistance is reduced

● Through surface dressing, the whole surface will become waterproof

due to the bitumen layer and stones that fill in any cracks, helping to
maintain the waterproof nature of the roads. Especially for older roads,
it's likely that large potholes are apparent, which can be very
dangerous for drivers.
● the surface should be dry, clean and as dust-free as possible

5. Thin Overlays: Thin overlays involve applying a thin layer of asphalt or

concrete to the existing pavement surface. This treatment can improve ride
quality, reduce noise, and extend the pavement’s service life by providing a
new wearing surface.

● The functional overlay is employed to repair surface deficiencies,

such as loss of friction, excessive surface deterioration, etc. The
structural overlay is used to remedy structural deficiencies to
extend the service life of overlaid pavement.
 Ruts accumulate incrementally:
every time a heavy vehicle passes
a small, permanent deformation or
consolidation is caused.

Due to traffic loading

Corrugation is a series of closely

spaced ridges and valleys
(ripples) occurring at fairly
regular intervals (usually less
that 5 ft [1.5 m]) along the
pavement. The ridges are
perpendicular to the traffic
direction. Traffic action combined
with an unstable pavement
surface or base usually causes
this type of distress.

Several factors contribute to their formation on gravel roads, including traffic

load and volume, vehicle speeds, subgrade and gravel properties, and road
geometric features [4] . In [5], it was found that corrugations usually form
where vehicles accelerate or break rapidly, such as on curves and steep
slopes.
 Bleeding or flushing is shiny,
black surface film of asphalt on
the road surface caused by
upward movement of asphalt in
the pavement surface. Common
causes of bleeding are too much
asphalt in asphalt concrete, hot
weather, low space air void
content and quality of asphalt.

Bleeding is a film of bituminous

material on the pavement surface
that creates a shiny, glass like, reflecting surface that usually becomes quite
sticky. Bleeding is caused by excessive amounts of asphaltic cement or tars
in the mix, or low air void content, or both.

Depressions are low areas of pavement that do not penetrate the asphalt
and they are typically caused by poor compaction during the paving process.
If not fixed quickly, the water and debris that typically collect in depressions
can wear on the asphalt surface and weaken its integrity. Depressions are
low areas of pavement that do not penetrate the asphalt and they are
typically caused by poor compaction during the paving process. Over long
periods of time pavement cracking and water penetration can cause the
asphalt to lose some of its structural integrity.

Spalling is a term used to describe areas of concrete which have cracked and
delaminated from the substrate. There are a number of reasons why spalling
occurs including freeze thaw cycling, the expansive effects of Alkali Silica
Reaction or exposure to fire. Concrete Spalling is the breakdown of concrete
via natural weathering and/or chemical reaction that results in sections of
cement chipping off the main body – often resulting in fractured,
compromised concrete.

Excessive compressive stress causes deterioration in the joints, called as the

spalling. This may be related to joint infiltration or the growth of pavement,
that are caused by the reactive aggregates. Poor quality concrete or
construction technique will also result in joint spalling. Small edges to large
spalls in the back of the slab and down to the joints can be observed. Main
causes of joint spalling in rigid pavements are:
Joints subjected to excessive stress due to high traffic or by infiltration of any
incompressible materials

The joint that are constructed with weak concrete

Joint that is accumulated with water that results in rapid freezing and
thawing

THE term faulting refers to the vertical displacement of concrete paving

slabs at joints. As faulting progresses, riding quality is adversely affected,
and cracking of the slabs may follow. Most commonly, faulting is a result of
slab pumping. Faulting can also be caused by slab settlement, curling and
warping.

Faulting in Rigid Pavements

The difference in elevation between the joints is called as faulting. The main
causes of failures in rigid pavements due to faulting are:

● Settlement of the pavement that is caused due to soft foundation

● The pumping or the erosion of material under the pavement, resulting

in voids under the pavement slab causing settlement

● The temperature changes and moisture changes that cause curling of

the slab edges.

Aggregate polishing is caused by repeated traffic applications. Polished

aggregate is present when close examination of a pavement reveals that the
portion of aggregate extending above the asphalt is either very small, or
there are no rough or angular aggregate particles to provide good skid
resistance. Repeated traffic applications. Generally, as a pavement ages the
protruding rough, angular particles become polished. This can occur quicker
if the aggregate is susceptible to abrasion or subject to excessive studded
tire wear.

Polished Aggregate in Rigid Pavements

The repeated traffic application leads to this distress. These are the failures
in rigid pavements caused when the aggregates above the cement paste in
the case of PCC is very small or the aggregates are not rough or when they
are angular in shape, that it cannot provide sufficient skid resistance for the
vehicles. The polishing degree should be specified before the construction is
carried out. This study is included in the condition survey, where it is
mentioned as a defect.
 Scaling is local flaking or peeling of a finished
surface of hardened concrete as a result of
exposure to cycles of freezing and thawing.

Scaling is the delamination or disintegration of

the upper portion of a PCC slab, and it can be
caused by construction defects, material
defects

Warping stresses and flexural stresses due

to variation of thermal gradient and wheel
load, respectively, cause cracking of rigid
pavement. The distress in the pavement
structure can be happened because of
warping stresses induced by thermal
gradient which causes curling effect due to
temperature variation.

pavement undergoes repeated environmental load-related deflection

resulting from temperature and moisture variations across the pavement
depth.