Forensic Investigation of Ten Asphalt Interstate Pavements with Varying Performance in Arkansas

Abstract

After 9–12 years of service, multiple sections of various interstates within Arkansas prematurely deteriorated. Four of these “poor” performing sections were compared to two “medium” and four “good” performing sections in order to evaluate potential causes of the premature deterioration. Several key properties, including structural capacity, design mixture properties, bond strength, in-place air voids, and moisture damage, were examined, and the last three of these properties were identified as impacting performance. A composite rating of key properties was developed that provided strong correlations between the results from the forensic evaluation and actual field performance. Results from tests such as the bond strength test and the in-place air voids test were complemented by four new metrics developed specifically from the data collected during this study. The four metrics were debonded lifts, the bond strength factor, the core degradation, and the stripping rating. By averaging the good, medium, and poor performance in each of these tests and metrics, an overall quantitative rating was established.