Comparison of Field Performance of Crack Treatment Methods in Asphalt Pavement of Texas

Abstract

Crack sealing and crack filling treatments have always been an important consideration to prolong the life of pavement among all pavement maintenance programs. Crack sealing uses a router to cut the crack to provide a uniform rectangular reservoir to have better adhesion between sealant and crack walls, and crack filling is simply inserting sealant without performing any modification to the crack walls. Most states in United States use crack filling treatment to treat cracks because of its cost-effectiveness and proper guidelines. However, the performance and cost-effectiveness history of crack sealing practice is not known compared with the performance of crack filling treatment in Texas. This research study is intended to compare the field performance of crack sealing and crack filling treatments in Texas. The comparison includes four different roads in four districts which were selected based on the climate regions, annual average daily traffic (AADT), and material and pavement conditions. To have an appropriate comparison, the same hot-pour sealant material and finishing technique were used. The treated sections in all four districts were regularly inspected at 3-month intervals. In general, the results of this study indicate that crack sealing treatment exhibits excellent performance and has on average 37% better treatment effectiveness than crack filling treatment. Implemented with proper guidelines, the sealing technique is a more cost-effective practice in the long run than is the filling technique.