Rehabilitation of concrete pavements utilizing rubblization: a mechanistic based approach to HMA overlay thickness design

Abstract

In Iowa, there are many portland cement concrete (PCC) type highway pavements. These pavements deteriorate over time due to materials, traffic and environmental related distresses and they are commonly rehabilitated by providing a hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay. To mitigate reflection cracking, a frequently observed distress on HMA overlaid PCC pavements, various fractured slab techniques are used, of which rubblization is considered to be the most utilized and effective technique. This paper describes the development of a mechanistic–empirical (M–E) thickness design system for HMA overlaid rubblized PCC pavements. In this computerized design procedure, HMA fatigue and subgrade rutting failure are considered using appropriate transfer functions. The design system strain predictions were validated using field results from an instrumented trial section in Polk county, Iowa.