Evaluation of joint activation and joint spacing in concrete overlays. Issue 12 (2nd December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Yu-An; Taylor, Peter C.; Ceylan, Halil; Wang, Xuhao
• Is Part Of: Road materials and pavement design. Volume 23:Issue 12(2022)
• Page Start: 2914
• Page End: 2923
• Publication Date: 2022-12-02
• Subjects: Concrete overlays -- non-destructive testing (NDT) -- ultrasonic low-frequency tomography (MIRA) -- joint spacing -- joint activation; Road materials -- Periodicals; Highway engineering -- Periodicals; Pavements -- Design and construction -- Periodicals; 625.805
• DOI: 10.1080/14680629.2021.2005669
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-0629

Abstract

Abstract : Optimized joint spacing is crucial to ensure concrete overlay performance and service life. While pavement joints are used to control cracks in concrete slabs and help relieve stresses, not all sawn joints crack or "activate" initially. If cracks do not form below saw-cut joints, the effective slab length is high, potentially leading to excessive movements at the activated joints and increasing the risk of random cracking. Non-destructive testing (NDT) approaches, such as MIRA, are proved to be effective on detecting whether a saw-cut has been activated. The saw-cutting joints from 54 concrete overlay project sites in Iowa were evaluated using a MIRA. The data indicated that approximately 60% to 70% of joints assessed were activated for the shorter joint spacing, while more than 95% of joints were activated for conventional joint spacing. These results were used to develop recommendations with respect to optimized joint spacing of concrete overlays. .