Abstract Manager

Durability cracking (D-cracking) is a progressive distress that remains a significant concern for concrete pavements. D-cracking can be associated with the source of coarse aggregate in the concrete mix, and with the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles. The extent of D-cracking is an important factor in selecting an appropriate and cost-effective rehabilitation treatment.

This paper presents the results of a field study to examine the performance of rehabilitation alternatives for municipal pavements affected by D-cracking. Selected rigid pavement sections from the City of Winnipeg residential street network were subjected to a variety of treatments. The treatments included asphalt overlays, full-depth repairs, and partial depth repairs. The selected sections were assessed before rehabilitation. Then, after rehabilitation the sections will also be assessed to evaluate the performance of each treatment. In this paper, only the pre-rehabilitation information is presented. The testing included distress surveys and deflections using a falling weight deflectometer (FWD) equipment.

The obtained FWD deflections were checked to exclude data that has a variability between deflections from the same heights exceeding a range of 3%. The FWD deflections were then normalized to a 40 KN load, and the pavement structures were analyzed. The analysis involved back-calculation to determine parameters such as the surface modulus, elastic modulus, load transfer efficiency at joints, and subgrade resilient modulus. The results from these parameters will be used to develop a decision support tool for pavement condition assessment, performance prediction, and recommending appropriate treatments according to a life cycle cost analysis.