Book Description

Reflective cracking in asphalt pavement is a problem that is rampant in the construction industry. It involves cracks or breaks in the underlying layers of the asphalt pavement because of movements experienced due to an original crack. Due to the continuous movement of existing asphalt pavements, discontinuities like joints and cracks spread through the pavement leading to reflection cracking. It becomes a challenging issue that troubles many engineers particularly those who work in the road maintenance and rehabilitation industry. Research into the problem can reveal important ways that the problem can be dealt with to offer a solution to an issue that has remained troublesome for many years. The need for rehabilitation methodologies that will improve the performance of asphalt pavements continues to grow create the need for a detailed review of existing treatment methods that can reduce the incidences of reflective cracking. This research summarized the current published literature until 2022 and identified the methods used in some states on how they deal with the reflective cracking problem that facing the roads. A Questionnaire survey consisting of several important points was created and sent to transportation agencies (departments of transportation) (DOTs) in all of the fifty states in the U.S. Replies from 20 states were and carefully investigated for figuring out the details related to the reflective cracking and remedies. The most prominent of these points were about whether the state faces this problem in their roads. Some of the questions asked where to inquire the details of how the DOTs determine the crack, the time for the first crack to appear and beginning to become a serious issue threatening the roads. The questionnaire also include the prevention as well as the treatment methods for solving the reflective cracking problem. The goal of this survey is to compare how each state DOTs deal with the reflective cracking issue and to benefit from the DOTs experience to find the most appropriate way to prevent and treat the reflective cracking keeping in view to achieve a good quality of the pavements and reduction in the cost of repair and maintenance for the best economic factor.