A State-of-the-Art Study and Survey of Flexible Pavement Construction Jointing Techniques

This report summarizes the state-of-the-art construction joints in airport hot-mix asphalt flexible pavement surfaces. It also discusses and develops criteria for improved Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards and procedures. Work leading to its completion consisted of three parts: a literature and experience review. field sampling and analysis of construction density of airport pavements, and a survey of organizations involved in airport and highway pavement construction. The literature review covered highway and airport joint construction techniques, experiences, and reports of public and private organizations. Information was examined for useful joint and mat construction data and for potential improvements in construction techniques and specifications. Construction techniques for making joints were summarized. Field sampling and analysis consisted of examining the effects of manual and mechanical joint-forming techniques on constructed density at three FAA airport projects. Densities in the interior portions of paved areas were also analyzed. Data indicated that interior and joint portions of pavements were different when characterized by density. The survey portion included (1) developing a hot-mix construction and performance questionnaire for organizations; (2) distributing it to state highway agencies, FAA airports, U.S. Government offices and a few non-U.S. locations; and (3) analyzing the completed responses. The intended audience was pavement owners, designers, specifiers, and contractors. Responses from 130 organizations were presented on a question-by-question basis. Some of the overall report findings indicated that airport runway longitudinal construction joint lengths easily exceed nine times the length of runways, creating a huge maintenance problem if they are not durable enough to resist traffic and environmental conditions.