Performance Evaluation of Open Graded Base Course with Doweled and Non-Doweled Transverse Joints

The objectives of this study were to investigate the performance of 20-year old doweled/non-doweled and dense-graded/permeable base test sections on three concrete pavement segments in Wisconsin: USH 18/151 in Iowa and Dane counties, STH 29 in Brown County, and USH 151 in Columbia and Dane Counties. Five pavement bases were placed including: dense graded, asphalt-stabilized permeable, cement-stabilized permeable, and untreated permeable having two gradation sizes. USH 18/151 test sections had similar performance (PDI) for doweled unsealed pavement on dense and permeable base. Distresses common to all segments included slight to moderate distressed joints/cracks and slight transverse faulting. Asphalt-stabilized permeable base had no slab breakup or surface distresses, however it measured a greater severity of distressed joints and cracks. Non-doweled sections having asphalt-stabilized permeable base and Transverse Inter Channel drains had better performance and ride than the other non-doweled sections. IRI was generally higher on non-doweled pavements, but many doweled sections had an equal roughness to non-doweled sections. Sealed non-doweled joints produced a better performing pavement, however, sealant did not appear to improve ride. STH 29 unsealed sections performed better than the median PDI for the sealed sections. The sealed doweled pavement did perform a little better than the non-doweled section, but the opposite occurred on the non-doweled sections. Sealed doweled joints had a smoother ride than the other combinations. USH 151 test sections found the finer-graded New Jersey permeable base had the smoothest ride when compared to other permeable sections. Asphalt-stabilized permeable base had the roughest ride, and unstabilized and cement-stabilized permeable bases had intermediate values. The average hydraulic conductivity for the unstabilized permeable base was 17,481 feet per day and there appears little variation due to doweling or joint sealant. Deflection load transfer results indicate expected high average values for the doweled sections and fair to poor values for the non-doweled sections. Slab support ratios indicate variable results based on base type and joint reinforcement/sealant. Life-cycle cost analysis found dense-graded base was the least cost among all base alternatives, with a total estimated present-worth life-cycle cost of $665,133 per roadway mile. Untreated and asphalt-stabilized permeable bases were more expensive by 13% and 27%, respectively. Other factors in selecting dense-graded base over permeable base include project drainage conditions set forth in the FDM guidelines an anticipated increase in pavement surface roughness

Pavement distress and performance modeling

Although a precise relationship between pavement distress and performance has not been clearly defined, there is a consensus that the ability of a pavement to withstand traffic loads and serve the motoring public in a safe and efficient manner is adversely affected by observable surficial distress. Distress, if untreated, ultimately becomes manifested as roughness which can have adverse effects on surface drainage, causing water to pond on the surface, which in turn leads to negative impacts on both the performance of the pavement and on vehicle safety. A review of research efforts also indicates that relatively little systematic modeling has been done to examine the interrelationship between distress and serviceability despite its crucial importance. This dissertation presents a framework for examining such a relationship using pavement roughness as a direct quantitative measure of serviceability and cracking as a surrogate for distress

Performance of shoulders adjacent to concrete pavements: final report to the Wisconsin Highway Research Program

266 p.The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) maintenance staff in both the Districts and Central Office discussed the less-than-optimum performance of the current asphalt shoulder design and standard being constructed adjacent to mainline concrete pavement projects. Problems associated with heaving of the shoulders during cold weather make snow removal operations more difficult and cause uneven wear on plow blades. Excessive cracking in both the longitudinal and transverse directions force maintenance crews to address these shoulders early in their life. In many cases, this is forcing continual maintenance crew exposure to high volume traffic roadways that are unwanted. This report presents a set of guidelines for consideration in paved shoulder practice in Wisconsin. The set of guidelines was developed through a series of tasks including: a) review and synthesis of literature on paved shoulders, b) survey of seven Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) regarding their shoulder practices, and c) data collection and analysis of in-service paved shoulders adjacent to mainline concrete pavements in Wisconsin. On the basis of the analysis several recommendations are made regarding the design elements for two feasible shoulder alternatives to minimize the extent and/or severity of specific key distresses. The two feasible shoulder alternatives are a) Jointed plain concrete shoulder tied to the mainline concrete pavement and b) a composite shoulder (an extended PCC width beyond the white line plus a specified asphalt-surfaced width). In addition, recommendations are made regarding elements for consideration in the effective management of shoulders.Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Pavement Research Uni

Effects of heavy loading on Wisconsin's concrete pavements

74 p.Wisconsin DOT District 7 filed a Report of Early Distress for a 6.5-mile stretch of USH 8 and an 8-mile stretch of USH 51 near Rhinelander in 2001. An investigation of the causes for the premature failures concluded that overloaded logging trucks were a key factor leading to the premature failure of the doweled jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP). Consequently, a recommendation was made to develop design guidelines for heavy truck loading on concrete pavements in Wisconsin. To develop the guidelines, JPCP design guides were solicited from several agencies, specifically, agencies located in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Climate Regions III and VI. A review of the design guides indicated that the 1993 AASHTO guide and the Portland Cement Association method are the two most popular state-of-the-art methods that attempt to address overloading, either using load safety factors or probabilistic concepts such as reliability. The two methods were further evaluated in terms of their ability to provide a transition to the AASHTO 2002 mechanistic-empirical design and allow a range of rehabilitation options for old JPCP. Based on the evaluation, the 1993 AASHTO guide was recommended for consideration in the design of JPCP in Wisconsin. The 1993 AASHTO guide was evaluated using data from one logging truck corridor along USH 8. The results indicated that a high-end reliability combined with modified rigid ESAL factors has the greatest potential to address overloading on Wisconsin?s concrete pavements.Wisconsin Highway Research Progra

Performance evaluation of open graded base course with doweled and non-doweled transverse joints on USH 18/151, STH 29, and USH 151

132 p.The objectives of this study were to investigate the performance of 20-year old doweled/non-doweled and dense-graded/permeable base test sections on three concrete pavement segments in Wisconsin: USH 18/151 in Iowa and Dane counties, STH 29 in Brown County, and USH 151 in Columbia and Dane Counties. Five pavement bases were placed including: dense graded, asphalt-stabilized permeable, cement-stabilized permeable, and untreated permeable having two gradation sizes. USH 18/151 test sections had similar performance (PDI) for doweled unsealed pavement on dense and permeable base. Distresses common to all segments included slight to moderate distressed joints/cracks and slight transverse faulting. Asphalt-stabilized permeable base had no slab breakup or surface distresses, however it measured a greater severity of distressed joints and cracks. Non-doweled sections having asphalt-stabilized permeable base and Transverse Inter Channel drains had better performance and ride than the other non-doweled sections. IRI was generally higher on non-doweled pavements, but many doweled sections had an equal roughness to non-doweled sections. Sealed non-doweled joints produced a better performing pavement, however, sealant did not appear to improve ride. STH 29 unsealed sections performed better than the median PDI for the sealed sections. The sealed doweled pavement did perform a little better than the non-doweled section, but the opposite occurred on the non-doweled sections. Sealed doweled joints had a smoother ride than the other combinations. USH 151 test sections found the finer-graded New Jersey permeable base had the smoothest ride when compared to other permeable sections. Asphalt-stabilized permeable base had the roughest ride, and unstabilized and cement-stabilized permeable bases had intermediate values. The average hydraulic conductivity for the unstabilized permeable base was 17,481 feet per day and there appears little variation due to doweling or joint sealant. Deflection load transfer results indicate expected high average values for the doweled sections and fair to poor values for the non-doweled sections. Slab support ratios indicate variable results based on base type and joint reinforcement/sealant. Life-cycle cost analysis found dense-graded base was the least cost among all base alternatives, with a total estimated present-worth life-cycle cost of $665,133 per roadway mile. Untreated and asphalt-stabilized permeable bases were more expensive by 13% and 27%, respectively. Other factors in selecting dense-graded base over permeable base include project drainage conditions set forth in the FDM guidelines an anticipated increase in pavement surface roughness

Database development for an HMA pavement performance analysis system

55 p.The primary purpose of this report was to develop a database template, using the existing Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) pavement management system, from which to perform pavement performance analysis using design, construction, and performance data for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. A second purpose was to investigate appropriate numerical or statistical methods that have the potential of quantifying and establishing relationships between design, construction, and performance data. A series of tasks was conducted including a review of literature, review of Wisconsin DOT databases, database integration with emphasis on performance modeling, and recommended approaches for performance modeling. The literature review found that data types collected for performance evaluation and modeling vary among agencies depending on needs, but the most common types include inventory, condition, traffic volume, and maintenance and rehabilitation. Common referencing systems between various data collection systems can facilitate data integration for pavement performance modeling; however, a major barrier for achieving full data integration is lack of common referencing systems compounded by the use of different data formats. To that end, Geographic Information System (GIS) was identified as an effective tool for data integration among various divisions within an organization. Several Wisconsin DOT databases applicable to performance modeling for HMA pavements were reviewed for primary data categories including construction, design, traffic, and performance. Semantic discrepancies among databases that impede integration were summarized, then recommendations were identified to enable simple or complex queries to relate data residing in the different databases. A GIS-based database integration was recommended using similar Wisconsin DOT GIS practices. A loose coupling approach, involving the transfer of data files between the GIS and other programs, was demonstrated using screen snapshots. Then, the integrated data were prepared for export into a statistical analysis package and the results imported back to the GIS for data visualization or display. Several statistical analysis methods to develop performance models were provided, along with reference examples for ANOVA (analysis of variance), comparison of means, and regression models. Currently there is an on-going research study with estimated completion in 2008, NCHRP Project 9-22, Beta Testing and Validation of HMA PRS, that will develop software capable of developing pavement performance models

Development of a guide to statistics for maintenance quality assurance programs in transportation

115 p. (Final report and appendices A and B); [28] p. (Appendix C); [28] p. (Appendix D)This report provides maintenance managers and practitioners with knowledge of how to apply statistics in MQA programs. Literature were reviewed and MQA manuals from 10 states were synthesized to understand state-of-practice for managing statistics in MQA programs. It was observed among lead states that a wide range of measured elements and threshold definitions exist for roadway, roadside and vegetation, drainage, traffic control, and rest areas. The role of statistics in MQA was described, and key statistical terms were defined. Actual MQA data were collected and analyzed to illustrate how fundamental statistical procedures and applications to describe features of MQA data. Examples were demonstrated for basic summary statistics, confidence intervals, data stratification, analysis of variance, sample size determination, precision, sensitivity analysis, and power level of statistics when evaluating the QA process itself. A new ranking procedure was developed that applies the concepts of percent defective (PD) or percent within limits (PWL), and computes confidence limits for the statewide system or any strata (functional class, division, county, or 10-mile roadway segment), and then ordering them by their lower confidence limits. If those limits do not include the desired level of the particular measure, then that particular section of pavement would be considered noncompliant.U.S. Department of Transportation--Research and Special Programs Administration; Wisconsin Department of Transportation; University of Wisconsin--Madison; University of Wisconsin--Platteville; DTRS 99-G-000

Development of in-place permeability criteria for HMA pavement in Wisconsin

80 p.The purpose of this study is the development of permeability and density acceptance criteria for hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements in Wisconsin. The work detailed in this report is Phase I of II. Databases from the Pavement Management Unit of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) were obtained for design, new construction reports, traffic, and performance data to assemble a profile of higher and lower performing pavements within a similar geographic region and truck traffic. Specific field tests on each project included water permeability with the NCAT device, air permeability with the ROMUS device, nuclear density, cores, and pavement distress surveys. Only fine-graded mixtures were tested. In-service pavements were nearly impermeable, where water permeability rates ranged from 0 to 5 x 10 to the -5 power cm/sec, and air permeability rates were a factor of 10 greater than water permeability. Water permeability between wheel paths were generally higher than in the wheel paths. In-service pavement density ranged from 92% to 99%. Air permeability trended downward with an increase in density, while water permeability had no discernible trend. A methodology for developing design criteria for permeability and density based on preliminary findings was presented. Defining specific criteria requires establishing a target Pavement Distress Index (PDI) to yield an expected design permeability, which in turn specifies as-built density at construction. Similarly, the target PDI/year determines the as-built density, to achieve the target value. Based on limited data, it was not possible to establish definitive criteria for permeability and density. A work plan was proposed for Phase II of the study to produce performance models that will establish specific criteria. Phase II will require a long-term study of about 5 years. As-built construction data will be collected on projects throughout the state having varying density requirements, then performance data will be collected and there will be monitoring every other year until the pavement reaches 8 years of age