Prevention and remediation measures for reflective cracks in flexible pavements

Abstract

Considering the high price and the number of natural resources used in transport infrastructure, extending pavement lifetime is a priority for engineers. One of the most common issues in flexible pavement maintenance are reflective cracks, which reduce driving comfort and passenger safety. These cracks have two main origins, those initiated by shrinkage of the cement stabilized layer and the cracks reflected from the old pavement to a new overlay. During road maintenance, the usual remediation measure is to overlay and place a new asphalt wearing course over the old, deteriorated pavement surface. After an asphalt overlay is placed on the deteriorated pavement, the overlay can exhibit an identical crack pattern as the layer below. The main cause of reflective cracks is in the cement bound base course (CBC). Due to cement hydration, traffic load, and temperature oscillations, cracks may occur and propagate through upper layers. Much research has been conducted to prevent this problem. Some research, with an emphasis on recycled materials, is presented in this paper. The remediation measures include thin and thick interlayers and modification of the asphalt overlay characteristics.

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