WHITETOPPING

Concrete overlays of Asphalt

Presented By Rico Fung, P.Eng.
Cement Association of Canada
 Whitetopping Engineering
Bulletin
Conventional
Whitetopping
Design
Construction
Performance
Ultra-thin
Whitetopping
Design
Construction
Performance
 UTW Whitetopping

Whitetopping:
Well-established, proven pavement
rehabilitation technique

Ultrathin Whitetopping:
New technology
Evaluation and Refinement stage
 Whitetopping - History
First Whitetopping
South 7th street in Terre Haute, Indiana - 1918
Existing flexible pavement was overlaid with 3 - 4
in. of reinforced concrete
During 40s and 50s -
Used to upgrade military & civil airports
Highway use
Started approx. 1960
Types have included JPCP, JRCP, CRCP, FRC
 Whitetopping - History
Was Fastest Growing
100
Resurfacing Category 90
(until UTW) 80

No. Constructed
70
178 documented
60
projects 50
Over 100 new 40
30
projects since 1982 20
Used to combat 10

rutting in heavy truck 0

< 1950 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-92
corridors Years
 Whitetopping by Pavement
Type
85% of projects are 160
jointed, plain 140
concrete pavements 120

Number
100
(JPCP) 80
CRCP - 7.3% 60
FRC - 4.5% 40
20
JRCP - 3.2% 0
JPCP JRCP CRCP FRC
Type of Overlay
 Whitetopping - Advantages
Construction
Can place on pavement
in bad condition.
Little or no pre-overlay
repair needed.
Avoid reconstruction
problems.
Minimal rain delays.
Maintain traffic on
existing surface.
 Whitetopping - Advantages
Long-term

Low maintenance.
No seasonal weakening (spring
breakup).
No reflective cracking.
Safe riding surface.
 Whitetopping - Advantages
Structural
Improved structural
capacity.
Maintains high level of
serviceability.
Reacts structurally as if on
strong base course.
Concrete slabs bridge
problems asphalt cannot.
Reduced potential for
pumping, faulting
and loss of support.
 Typical Whitetopping
Thickness
Depends on expected traffic load.
City streets, secondary roads, and small
airports
100 to 175 mm (4 to 7 in.)
Primary roads and interstate highways
175 to 280 mm (7 to 11 in.)
Large airports
200 to 460 mm (8 to 18 in.)
 Whitetopping Design

Thickness
Designed as new pavement on asphalt base
Assumes no bonding to the existing asphalt
Jointing
Spacing - same as new concrete pavement
Depth - adjust for AC distortion
Reinforcing & dowels - same as new
pavement
 Whitetopping Design
AASHTO 93 Design Guide
THICKNESS DESIGN
Dol = Df
Where
Dol = Required Slab Thickness of Overlay, in.
Df = Slab Thickness to Carry Future Traffic, in.

Overlay is designed as New PCC Pavement using

an effective modulus of subgrade reaction (keff) on
existing flexible pavement.
 Whitetopping Design

Effective K-Value (keff)

Determine from deflection data on
asphalt using Falling Weight
Deflectometer (FWD) data.
Determine using Fig. 3.3 and AC
thickness, AC modulus, and subgrade
modulus.
 AASHTO
DESIGN
Figure 3.3 -
nomograph for
determining k-value
using
Roadbed soil
modulus
Subbase modulus-
use AC modulus
Subbase thickness-
use AC thickness
Whitetopping Design
Whitetopping Design
 Whitetopping Design
13.00
12.00
pavement thickness [in]

11.00
10.00
9.00
8.00
7.00
6.00
10,000,000 20,000,000 30,000,000 40,000,000 50,000,000
ESALs
AASHTO prediction: Un-doweled PCC on ATB WSDOT PMS Data: Non-doweled PCC on ATB
AASHTO prediction: Doweled PCC on ATB AASHTO Whitetopping prediction: Doweled PCC on exist 395 ACP
AASHTO prediction: Doweled PCC on crushed rockAASHTO Whitetopping Prediction: Un-Doweled PCC on exist 395 ACP
 Whitetopping Construction

Critical issue is uniform support

Subgrade / base failures need repair
Need to evaluate drainage (esp. Inlays)
Address surface distortions
Direct application
Profile milling
Leveling course
 Whitetopping Construction
Pre-overlay Preparation
Distress Repair Performed Other Factors

Rutting (< 2 in.,50mm) None Joint Sawing Depth

Rutting (> 2 in.,50mm) Milling of Leveling Cost Comparison

Drainage
Shoving Milling?

Raveling None Sweep Surface

Trans. Cracking None Crack filler

Block Cracking None

Alligator Cracking None
Long Cracking None
Bleeding None
 Whitetopping Construction

Direct Application
Sweep surface and place
Use when rutting < 50 mm
On crowned roadways
makes thickened edges
Economical, practical.
Surface cross-section
survey.
Determine cross-sectional
area & overlay volume.
Concrete overlay fills ruts.
 Whitetopping Construction
Transverse Cracks
Key

Overlay

Old Pavement

Smooth Slip Plane

Overlay

Old Pavement
 Whitetopping Construction

Profile Milling
Use when rutting > 50
mm
Removes between 25
and 75 mm
Can shave off top of
ruts
Used with inlays
Limited vertical
clearances
Single lane replacement
Runway keelways
 Whitetopping Construction

Leveling Course
Consider only where extreme rutting or
distortion exists
Use when rutting > 50 mm
Places between 25 and 50 mm of AC
Can just fill ruts
Requires more equipment, materials, time
Usually most expensive option
 Whitetopping Construction
Whitewash
Apply if surface > 110
degrees F (24 degree C).
Prevents heat build-up or
Excessive mix
temperatures.
Can decrease Temperature
by 20 F (10 degree C) or
more.
Maintains hard paving
surface.
Most critical for leveling
course
Heat/Energy is Absorbed into
Black Leveling Surface

Heat/Energy is Reflected by
Whitewashed Surface

-20 F
Whitetopping Construction

Keep out of track of

Paver
 Whitetopping Overlays
Jointing

Joint depth (D/3).

Adjust if vary over 25mm/1 inch of nominal

thickness.

D/3

>25mm/1
 Whitetopping Overlays
Performance

Most projects are too new to provide data

Approximately 78 projects before 1982
Over 100 new projects between 1982 and 1992
Used to combat rutting in heavy truck corridors
Those that are old enough are providing
excellent performance
Oldest in-service project built 1956
(Columbus AFB, Miss.)
 Whitetopping Overlays
Performance
US 1 - Daytona Beach, FL.
Built in 1988
19 test sections -150, 175, 200 mm thick
10 year design
After 12 years service - Excellent Condition
No sign of anticipated early deterioration
 Whitetopping Overlays
Performance
US 101 - Orange County, CA.
Built in 1966
200 mm thick
In 1989 Review
Carried over 10 million ESALs
Excellent Condition
 Inlay Whitetopping
Performance
Performance
Have had good to poor performance
Poor performance results from:
Poor drainage
Bathtub sections
Poor load transfer
 Inlay Whitetopping
Performance
Performance
I-5 Portland, Oregon
Built between 1971
and 1975
330 mm thick CRCP
Used in truck lanes
Excellent
performance
 Inlay Whitetopping
Performance
Performance
I-70 Sherman Co., Kansas
Built in 1983 and 1985
200 mm thick - No dowels
After about 3 years of service
3 mm of faulting
Some long. cracking, pumping, & corner breaks
Absence of dowels and bathtub section
contributed to distress development
 Whitetopping Overlays
Performance
Glendive, Montana
8 Undowled PCC
Whitetopping
Paved 1984
Excellent Condition
Slight faulting at
bridge abutment due
to no AC
 Whitetopping Overlays
Northwest US Projects
Twelve different projects
1 in Idaho
3 in Montana
7 in Oregon
I-5 Portland, Oregon
330 mm thick CRCP built between 1971 and 1975
Excellent performance
1 in Washington
Second Ave, Seattle (1944)
 Whitetopping - Conclusions

Fastest growing resurfacing technique

Number projects increased from 70 in
1982 to 178 in 1993
Used to combat rutting in truck
corridors
Asphalt layer acts as a base layer
Limited studies indicate good to
excellent performance
 Whitetopping - Conclusions

When there are Problems

Poor drainage
Bathtub sections
Poor load transfer
Further Research
Further performance studies
Bonding effects
 Ultrathin Whitetopping
A concrete overlay,
50 mm to 100 mm
thick with close joint
spacing, bonded to
the existing asphalt
pavement.
May or may not
contain fibers
 Ultra-Thin Whitetopping

Can carry traffic

loadings typical of
low-volume roads
city streets
parking areas
intersections
bus pads
etc.
 Benefits of UTW
New Choice for Pavement Overlays
Durable Surface-Eliminates Rutting
Fast-Track Construction-Open 24
hours
Reduce Interim Maintenance
Competitive Cost
 Benefits of UTW
Traffic Loop Detector Protection
Longer Construction Season
Mini-slabs Precut for Utility
Maintenance
Light Reflective - Day and Night
Environmentally Friendly
 History - Ultra thin
Whitetopping
Idea born from trying to maintain elevations in
parking lots and streets surfaced with AC.
Kentucky Ready mix was placing 3
unbonded overlays at intersections.
First UTW was on entrance road to a Ready-
mix plant in Madisonville, KY. (1988).
First controlled experiment the Louisville, KY.
Waste Management Landfill entrance road
(1991).
 Ultra-Thin Whitetopping
The fastest growing 180
overlay category No of Projects
Since1992, more than Total Projects
140
150 UTW projects have

No of Projects
been constructed in the
States. 100
Since 1992, there are
10 UTW/TW projects in 60
Canada, mainly in
Ontario, 1 in Belleville, 1
in Mississauga(1995), 4 20
in Brampton, 1 by MTO 0
in Windsor and 1 each 89 91 93 95 97 99
in Ottawa, Hamilton and
Vancouver during 2000. Year
 Design Considerations of
UTW
Bond is critical - milled surface is best
Slab size (Jointing) is important
Underlying asphalt thickness is
important (min 75mm required)
Attention to concrete mix design is
important for high early strength, and
early opening for traffic
Placement considerations
 Bonding Effects on Edge
Stress

NA Concrete
Concrete NA
Comp. Comp.

Asphalt
Asphalt
Tension Tension

Unbonded Bonded
8.49 MPa 2.90 MPa
75 mm Concrete, 100 mm AC, K=81 MPa/m, Ec = 27,580 MPa, Eac =
2,758 MPa
Bonding Effects on Corner
Stress
Tension Tension

Comp Concrete Concrete

NA
NA
Asphalt Comp. Asphalt Comp.

Tension Tension

Unbonded Bonded
8.49 Mpa 2.90 Mpa
6.12 MPa 3.68 MPa
75 mm Concrete, 100 mm AC, K=81 MPa/m, Ec = 27,580 MPa, Eac =
2,758 MPa
 Effects of Joint Spacing
0.6 m 0.6 m 0.6 m 3.0 m

Short joint spacing allows the slabs to deflect instead of bend.

This reduces slab stresses to reasonable values.
Effects of Joint Spacing
 Effects of AC Thickness

Concrete
NA
Tension
Concrete
NA 100 mm
Asphalt
Tension
50 mm
Asphalt

50 mm AC 100 mm AC
Concrete Stress 5.73 MPa 3.68 MPa
-4 -4
AC Strain 6.0 x 10 5.1 x 10
Deflection 2.743 mm 2.082 mm
Corner Stress: 75 mm Concrete, K=81 MPa/m, Ec = 27,580 MPa, Eac = 2,758 MPa
Thickened edge for Ultra-thin
Whitetopping
Saw cut face

AC SURFACE
T
AC BASE T+75 mm

L L
L = Standard length between joints
 Construction Steps

Core Existing Asphalt

Mill and Clean
Place finish and cure
Early Saw
Open to Traffic
Ottawa Campus Station Bus Lanes
Rehabilitation
Hwy #3 & Howard Ave. Windsor
 Construction Steps
Old AC Pavement
Ottawa Campus Station
Bus Lanes Rehabilitation

Hwy #3 & Howard

Ave., Windsor, ON
 Construction Steps
Mill and Clean Surface
Ottawa Campus
Station Bus Lanes
Rehabilitation

Utility Detail
 Construction Steps
Placement and Consolation

Hwy #3 & Howard

Ave., Windsor, ON

Ottawa Campus Station

Bus Lanes Rehabilitation
 Construction Steps
Texturing

Hwy #3 & Howard

Ave., Windsor, ON

Ottawa Campus Station

Bus Lanes Rehabilitation
 Construction Steps
Cure

Ottawa Campus Station

Bus Lanes Rehabilitation

Hwy #3 & Howard

Ave., Windsor, ON
 Construction Steps
Early Saw
Hwy #3 & Howard
Ave., Windsor, ON

Ottawa Campus Station

Bus Lanes Rehabilitation
Construction Steps
Open
to Traffic

Ottawa
Campus
Station
Bus Lanes
Rehabilitation
Construction Steps
Stamped Intersection
Sheridan, WY
New Airport Runway
Ultra-Thin Resurfacing
of Savannah-Hardin
County Airport
 Mix Design

Typical higher Cement Content

Fast track type Construction
Low Water / Cement Ratio
Synthetic Fibers
Creates durable, Quick Opening to
traffic
 Whitetopping Engineering
Bulletin
Conventional
Whitetopping
Design
Construction
Performance
Ultra-thin Whitetopping
Design
Construction
Performance
 UTW Design Procedures
Based on the PCA Design Procedure
Fatigue in the concrete due to corner loading
Fatigue in the asphalt due to edge loading
Information needed:
Flexural strength of concrete
Strength of subgrade support (k-value)
Asphalt pavement thickness after preparation
Asphalt pavement modulus
Weights, frequencies, and types of truck axles the pavement will
carry
Design tables show load carrying capacity for given
thickness & joint spacing
 UTW Design Procedures

Constraints limit, and prescribe UTW thickness

Elevation of an adjacent lanes, curbs and gutters, etc.
Thickness of the existing asphalt
Depth of milling
UTW thickness design becomes a process of
evaluation, rather than design
Allowable loads for a given thickness & joint
spacing
 Design Charts
4 Design Tables for Roads, Streets and
Parking Areas
Light Residential Traffic (Cat. A), k= 27 MPa/m
Light Residential Traffic (Cat. A), k= 54 MPa/m
Collector and Minor Arterial Traffic (Cat. B), k= 27
MPa/m
Collector and Minor Arterial Traffic (Cat. B), k= 54
MPa/m
4 General Aviation Tables
 Design Charts
Allowable Number of Trucks Per Lane (Thousands)
h2, h1, UTW thickness
Flexural Asphalt 50 mm 75 mm 100 mm
strength thickness, Joint Spacing
Mpa mm 0.9 m 0.6 m 1.2 m 0.9 m 1.8 m 1.2 m
4.8 75 0 75 6 102 56 298
4.8 100 55 216 110 284 230 578
4.8 125 197 497 331 620 553 1076
4.8 150 or more 511 1053 771 1221 1148 1915
5.5 75 9 111 79 197 266 551
5.5 100 101 261 221 398 502 875
5.5 125 277 622 495 778 922 1460
5.5 150 or more 639 1183 1002 1493 1583 2438

Axle-Load Category B, k = 54 MPa/m

 Road and Street
Design Example
Traffic or Road Category
Minor Arterial
Existing Pavement
Asphalt thickness100 mm (4 in.)
subgrade/subbase k27 MPa/m (100 pci)
Trial Thickness
UTW thickness75 mm (3 in.)
Flexural strength4.8 MPa (700 psi)
Joint spacing0.9 mm (3 ft)
 Design Charts
Allowable Number of Trucks Per Lane (Thousands)
h2, h1, UTW thickness
Flexural Asphalt 50 mm 75 mm 100 mm
strength thickness, Joint Spacing
Mpa mm 0.9 m 0.6 m 1.2 m 0.9 m 1.8 m 1.2 m
4.8 75 0 75 6 102 56 298
4.8 100 55 216 110 284 230 578
4.8 125 197 497 331 620 553 1076
4.8 150 or more 511 1053 771 1221 1148 1915
5.5 75 9 111 79 197 266 551
5.5 100 101 261 221 398 502 875
5.5 125 277 622 495 778 922 1460
5.5 150 or more 639 1183 1002 1493 1583 2438

Axle-Load Category B, k = 54 MPa/m

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UTW Design/Evaluation Program
 UTW Design
Other Helpful Hints
Maximum Joint Spacing
12 to 15 times the concrete thickness
Mix Design
Typical higher Cement Content
Fast track type Construction
Low Water / Cement Ratio
Synthetic Fibers
Use Thickened Edge End Panels
Summary and
Questions ?