FAILURE OF PAVEMENTS

Flexible pavement Failure

Flexible Pavement Failure
 One of major cause of pavement failure

Water is enemy of pavement and can worsen cracked pavement

problems .Freezing and thawing action makes pavement weak.

Flexible pavement Failure

 Pavement Failure
Failure in sub grade
Excessive deformation in sub-grade soil due to insufficient
bearing capacity or a shear failure in sub-grade soil.
• Inadequate Stability
– inherent weakness of soil
itself,
– excessive moisture
– improper compaction
• Excessive application of
Stress –consolidation
deformation
• Plastic deformation
Sink holes
 Failure in Sub Base –Base Course
Inadequate Stability
 Poor mix proportion , in adequate stability, poor ingradient
Loss of Binding action
 Repeated stress Application
 Internal movement of aggregate in base or sub base
Loss of Bearing Course Materials
 When Wearing course materials worn out
Inadequate Wearing Course
Use of inferior materials
Lack of lateral confinement of granular base course
 Failure of wearing course
• Improper mix design
• Poor quality control
• Volatilization and oxidation of binder
• Improper gradation of aggregates
• Inadequate binder content
• Inferior type of binder etc.
 Surface Deformation
1.1 Shoving :
•Formation of waves across a pavement,
• Occur at severe horizontal stresses like intersection
Possible Causes
 Excess asphalt
 too much fine aggregate;
rounded aggregate;
Low modulus of base course ,
thin wearing course
High stress due to braking and
acceleration
Probable Treatment
Partial or full depth patch
Reconstruction of base
Bituminous overlay
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 1.2Corrugations :
•Transverse ridges and valleys (or ripples) occurring at regular Intervals,
• Usually occurs at points where traffic starts and stops

Possible Causes
• Inadequate stability of bituminous
surface
• Heavy traffic on steep downgrade or
upgrade
• Inadequate stability of base course
• Compaction of base in wave form
Probable Treatment
• Base reconstruction
• Mill off the corrugated surface and
replace with the stiffer mix or use hot
mix asphalt
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 1.3Rutting :
•Surface/channelized depressions in the wheel-tracks,
• evident after a rain when they are filled with water
Possible Causes
• Inadequate pavement thickness
• Unsuitable bituminous mixes
• consolidation or lateral
movement of any layer due to
traffic loading
• Insufficient compaction
Probable Treatment
• Strengthening overlay or
reconstruction
• Base or sub base strengthening

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 1.4 Depression (birds baths):
• Surface areas with slightly lower elevations than the surrounding
pavement
•Usually on left lane and shoulder

Possible Causes
• Differential settlement of sub
grade or base materials
• Volume change of subgrade due
to environmental influences
• settlement due to instability of
embankment
Probable Treatment
• Applying a thin surface patch
• Base or subgrade reconstruction
• Embankment stabalization and
drainage improvement
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 2.Surface Defects
2.1 Bleeding/ Flushing:
•shiny, glass-like reflecting surface , thin sticky bitumen layer
•Loss of skid resistance when wet
Possible Causes
• Excessive asphalt in the surface
layer
• Lack of proper rolling during
placement
Probable Treatment
• Applying coarse sand
• cutting off excess asphalt with a
motor grader or removing it with a
heater planer
• Resurfacing the asphalt

•
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 2.2Ravelling(very porous asphalt):
• Separation of aggregate particles in a pavement from the surface
downward or from the edges inward
•more common in the northern regions(snow belt)

Possible Causes
• Insufficient bitumen content
• Inadequate compaction or
construction during wet
weather
• Poor adhesion of bitumen
binder
Probable Treatment
• Thin bituminous overlay

Flexible pavement Failure

 2.3Polishing:
• surface consisting of rough exposed aggregates

Possible Causes
• Inadequate resistance to
polishing of surface aggregates
• Use of naturally smooth
uncrushed aggregates
• Repeated traffic on an aging
pavement system.
Probable Treatment
• The bituminous overlay of use
of stiffer mix
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 2.4 Surface lifting /Seal Break/Upheaveal:
• Upward movement in a pavement

Possible Causes
• Inadequate cleaning or inadequate
tack cot before placement of upper
layers
• Adhesion of surface binder to
vehicle tyres
• Seepage of water through asphalt
swelling of the subgrade
• Inadequate cleaning or inadequate
tack coat before placement of upper
layers
Probable Treatment
• Reconstruction of weak layer
• Thin bituminous overlay

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2.5 Water Bleeding and pumping :
• Water seeps out of joints or cracks or through an excessively porous
•Water and fine material is ejected from underlying layers through cracks
•Decreased skid resistance , decreased structural support
•

Possible Causes
High water table
• Poor drainage
• Poor mix design and
compaction
Probable Treatment
• slurry seal to limit water
infiltration
• Lower water table and good
drainage
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 3.Cracking Cracks
3.1 Fatigue /Alligator /Crocodile crack:
•load associated structural failure cracks allow moisture
infiltration, roughness, may further deteriorate to a pothole
•Repeated loading, the longitudinal cracks connect forming
many-sided sharp-angled piece like crocodile
Possible Causes
 Inadequate pavement thickness
Increase in loading
Brittle base and wearing course
Poor base drainage and
inadequate structural design
Probable Treatment
Strengthen the pavement or
reconstruction
Base recycling or reconstruction
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 3.2 Block Cracking :
•Large interconnected rectangles (roughly) is not load-associated, but
generally caused by shrinkage of the asphalt pavement
Possible Causes
• Joints in underlying layer
• Shrinkage and fatigue of underlying
cemented materials
• Shrinkage cracks (due to bitumen
hardening) in bituminous surfacing

Probable Treatment
• Crushed aggregate overlay
• Replace underlying cemented
materials
• Cut and patch or crushed aggregate
overlay

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 3.3 Longitudnal Cracking :
•Cracks that are parallel to the pavements centerline
Possible Causes
• Reflection of shrinkage cracks
• Displacement of joints at
pavement widening
• Differential settlement
between cut and fill

Probable Treatment
• Cut and patch
• Replace bituminous surfacing
• Crushed aggregate overlay or
reconstruction of joints.

Flexible pavement Failure

 3.4Transverse or thermal Cracking :
•Perpendicular to the pavement's centerline or laydown direction
•Induced by daily temperature cycles, and poor construction

Possible Causes
• Reflection of shrinkage cracks
• Construction joint in
bituminous surfacing
• Shrinkage crack bituminous
surfacing
• Reflection of joints in the
underlying base
Probable Treatment
• Cut and patch
• Crack sealant

Flexible pavement Failure

 3.5Edge Cracks /Edge Breaks /Edge Drop off :
•Edge Cracks travel along the inside edge of a pavement surface
within one or two feet
Possible Causes
• Poor drainage conditions and lack of
support at the pavement edge
• Excessive traffic loading at the pavement
edge
• Inadequate pavement width
• Insufficient bearing support
• Edge drop-off
• Heavy vegetation along the pavement
Probable Treatment
• Widen the pavement or strengthen the
pavement edge
• Improve drainage and shoulder

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 3.6Crescent /Parabolic /Slippage /Shear cracks :
•Slippage cracks are crescent-shaped cracks or tears in the surface
layer(s) of asphalt where the new material has slipped over the
underlying course
Possible Causes
• Lack of bond between wearing course
and the underlying layer
• Thin wearing course
• High stress due to braking and
acceleration movements
• By dirt, oil, or other contaminants
preventing adhesion
Probable Treatment
• Partial or full depth patch
• Reconstruction of base
• Bituminous overlay

Flexible pavement Failure

 4.1Patch deterioration :
•An area of pavement4.
Patching andreplaced
that has been Potholes
with new
material to repair the existing pavement.
A patch is considered a defect no matter how well it performs.

Possible Causes
 Inadequate cleaning or
inadequate tack cot before
placement of upper layers
Weak, loose layer immediately
underlying seal
Break the bond between surface
and lower layers
Probable Treatment
Reconstruction of weak layers
Mill off and re-lay upper layers
Replace wearing course or thin
bituminous overlay Flexible pavement Failure
 4.2Pot Holes:
•Small, bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface that
penetrate all the way through the asphalt layer down to the
base course

Possible Causes
 Loss of surface course
Moisture entry to base course
through a cracked pavement
surface
Load associated disintegration of
base
Probable Treatment
Patching
Cut and patch
Base reconstruction
Flexible pavement Failure
 Failure of Rigid Pavement
lure in rigid pavement (or cement concrete pavement) can b
entified by formation of cracks on the pavement surface. The
o prime factors responsible for rigid pavement failure are
or quality of material consist of following items
1. Using soft aggregate
2. Poor quality of sub-grade soil
3. Poor joint filler R sealer materials
adequate stability of the pavement structure can be due to
lowing reason
1. Inadequate pavement thickness
2. Lack of sub-grade support
3. Improper compaction of sub-grade
4. Improper spacing of joints
 Failure of Rigid Pavement
lure in rigid pavement (or cement concrete pavement) can b
entified by formation of cracks on the pavement surface. The
o prime factors responsible for rigid pavement failure are
or quality of material consist of following items
1. Using soft aggregate
2. Poor quality of sub-grade soil
3. Poor joint filler R sealer materials
adequate stability of the pavement structure can be due to
lowing reason
1. Inadequate pavement thickness
2. Lack of sub-grade support
3. Improper compaction of sub-grade
4. Improper spacing of joints
 Types of Failures in Rigid Pavement
he following 5 form of failures are commonly found in rigid
avement
1. Scaling of cement concrete
2. Shrinkage cracks
3. Joint spalling
4. Warping cracks
5. Pumping
 Scaling of cement concrete
aling of rigid pavement simply means, peeling off or flaking off of the top
yer or skin of the concrete surface. This may be due to the following
asons
1. Improper mix design
2. Excessive vibration during compaction of concrete
3. Laitance of Concrete
. Performing finishing operation while bleed water is on surface
 Joint spalling
int spalling is the breakdown of the slab near edge of the joint. Normally
ccurs within 0.5 m of the joints. The common reasons for this defect are

1. Faulty alignment of incompressible material below concrete slab

2. Insufficient strength of concrete slab near joints
3. Freeze-thaw cycle
4. Excessive stress at joint due to wheel load
 Warping cracks
1. In hot weather, concrete slab tends to expand. Therefore the joints
should be so designed to accommodate this expansion. When joints are
not designed properly, it prevents expansion of concrete slab and
therefore results in development of excessive stress. This stress cause
formation of warping cracks of the concrete slab near the joint edge.
. This type of crack can be prevented by providing proper reinforcement
t the longitudinal and transverse joints. Hinge joints are generally used
o relieve the stress due to warping.
 Pumping
hen material present below the road slab ejects out through the joints or cracks,
called pumping. When soil slurry comes out it is called mud pumping.
The common reasons for this defect are
1. Infiltration of water through the joints, cracks or edge of the pavement forms
oil slurry. Movement of heavy vehicles on pavement forces this soil slurry to
come out causing mud pumping.
. When there is void space between slab and the underlying base of sub-grade
ayer
3. Poor joint sealer allowing infiltration of water
4. Repeated wheel loading causing erosion of underlying material
mping can also lead to formation of cracks. This is because; ejection of sub-grade
terial below the slab causes loss of sub-grade support. When traffic movement
urs at these locations, it fails to resist the wheel load due to reduction of sub-gra
pport and develops cracks.
is type of defect can be identified when there is presence of base or sub-grade
aterial on the pavement surface close to joints or cracks.
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