Troubleshooting
Concrete Paving Issues
Tim Smith
Dir. Transportation & Public Works
MIT Workshop
June 19 - 20th, 2007 - Winnipeg
1
Troubleshooting…
• Nothing ever goes wrong…
• Right?
Just in case, see
Chapter 10 of
IMCP Manual
2
Common Paving Problems
• Uncontrolled cracking
• Surface issues
• Edge slump
• Missing / misplaced steel
• Roughness
• Others??
Early Opening to Traffic??
4
Common Paving Problems
• Uncontrolled cracking
• Surface issues
• Edge slump
• Missing / misplaced steel
Uncontrolled Cracking
Factors:
• Sawing operation
• Weather and ambient conditions
• Subbase
• Concrete mixture
• Saw blade selection
• Joint spacing
6
Sawing Window of Opportunity
Too Early: Sawing Too Late:
Raveling Window Cracking
Concrete Strength
Restraint Stress Equals
Concrete Strength
Minimum Strength to Avoid
Excessive Saw Cut Raveling
Time
7
Raveling – Start of Sawing Window
8
Sawing
Options:
• Early entry saws
• Skip sawing
• Form joints
• Bobsled for longitudinal joints
• Hand-form shoulder joints
9
Weather & Ambient Conditions
• Almost always a factor
• Time of day
• Afternoon heat coincides with morning concrete
hydration
• Sun-heated aggregates produce “hot” afternoon
concrete
• Differential contraction (> 9 ºC)
10
Weather & Ambient Conditions
Considerations for hot weather:
• Cool the concrete
• Use chilled water
• Water the stockpiles
• Use ice or dry ice in mixer
• Apply curing ASAP
• Pave at night??
11
Weather & Ambient Conditions
Considerations for cold weather:
• Heat the concrete
• Use heated water
• Protect stockpiles
• Monitor maturity
• Use insulating blankets
12
Subbase
Considerations:
• Frictional resistance
• Varies by material (stabilized > unstabilized)
• Use of bond breakers on stabilized LCB or AC
• Trimming causes roughened areas on CTB
• Temperature
• Differential curing
• Absorption
• Differential shrinkage
13
Cement-Treated Subbase Bonding or Joint Design?
4 ft 12-18 ft 10 ft
CTB
14
Concrete Mixture
Considerations:
• Slow strength
development
• Fly ash, slag or cement
• Fast strength
development
• Higher maximum concrete
temperature
• Thermal sensitivity
• Coarse aggregate
15
Joint Spacing
Considerations:
• Well-studied factor
• Varies in practice (usually 15-20 ft.)
• Industry recommends
• 24d (on granular subbases)
• 21d (on stabilized subbases)
• In old days recommendations included
aggregate type
16
The Rules of Jointing
Things to Do Things to Avoid
• Match existing joints • Slabs < 1 ft (0.3 m) wide
or cracks
• Slabs > 15 ft (5.0 m) wide
• Place joints to meet
in-pavement • Angles < 60º (~90º is
structures best)
• Do this by dog-legging joints
• Remember max. joint through curve radius points
spacing
• Creating interior corners
• Place isolation joints
• Odd Shapes (keep slabs
where needed
square or pie-shaped)
• Understand can make
adjustments joint
location!
• Be Practical
17
Cracks
Typical Orientations if Sawing Too Late
For Conditions
Pop-off
Doweled
Joint
Mid-slab
Diagonal
18
Cracks
Early Transverse Cracks Induced by
Edge Restraint
Paved 1st
Paved 3rd
Paved 2nd
19
Cracks
Early Longitudinal
2-Lane Section: Widened Lane: 3-Lane Section:
12 ft 6 ft 12 ft 12 ft
6 ft
12 ft
12 ft 14 ft
12 ft
20
Cracks
Smiley Face Cracks
From Different Placements
Paved 1st
Paved 2nd
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Cracks
Smiley Face (Longitudinal Shear)
22
Cracks
Progression of Smiley
Face Cracking
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Step 1 – Pave Mainline
24
Step 2 – Not All Joints Open Up Same
Note: Many causes, including high-friction, high-strength bases,
or perhaps very low-friction bases, also thick pavements.
25
Step 3 – Pave Tied Shoulder or Adjacent Lane
Note: Ambient (seasonal) temperatures often different between
mainline paving and shoulder paving, or phased projects.
26
Step 4 – Joints Try to Close Up
Note: Edge restrained by tiebars, base friction, and/or mortar
intrusion.
27
Causes of Smiley Face Cracking
• High-friction / high-strength bases; bonding
• Edge restraint
• Tiebar design
• Induces tensile and/or shear stress
• Different placement temperatures
28
Causes of Smiley Face Cracking
• Mortar intrusion
• From paving shoulder
• Every 2nd, 3rd, or 4th joint wide open, allowing intrusion
of fluidized mortar (paste)
• Induces compressive stress
• Base under shoulder pavement dirty from
mainline paving; leads to different
friction/bonding
29
Solutions to Smiley Face
• Use bond breakers on high-friction / high-
strength bases; ensure similar conditions
under all portions of pavement
• Re-examine tiebar design criteria
• Use duct tape or bead of caulk at wide-open
joints
• Try to time adjacent placements such that
seasons are same or temperatures are
similar
30
Cracks
Erratic
Bond Zone
Typical of high friction or bond between subbase and concrete
31
Cracks
Edge-to-Edge Longitudinal
Typical of problem from support (heave or settlement)
or heavy early edge loadings
32
Cracks
In-Line with Structures
33
Cracks
In-Line with Structures
34
Cracks
Improper Jointing
35
Cracks
Improper Jointing
36
Cracks
Improper Dead-Heading
37
Plastic Shrinkage Cracks
• 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) long
• Parallel
• Partially penetrate depth WIN
D
• Usually tight
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
39
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
40
Other Uncontrolled Cracks
41
Spalling - Raveling
42
Common Paving Problems
• Uncontrolled cracking
• Surface issues
• Edge slump
• Missing / misplaced steel
Surface Issues Clay Balls
44
Clay Balls
Considerations:
• Stockpiling practices
• Don’t scrape the ground with the bucket
• Ensure rock is clean from quarry
• Clean trucks after hauling other material
• Not a structural issue; will not decrease
pavement life
45
Surface Issues Unclosed Surface
46
Unclosed Surface
Considerations:
• Concrete mix design!!!
• Optimize
• Target a well-graded combined agg. Mix
• Check vibrators; monitors are helpful
• Try lowering vibration
• Don’t add water
47
Surface Issues Rain Damage
48
Rain Damage
Considerations:
• Most studies have shown only the top 1/8
to 1/4 inch is usually affected
• Some paste washed away
• High w/c ratio
• Poor air
• Diamond grinding is primary fix
49
Common Paving Problems
• Uncontrolled cracking
• Surface issues
• Edge slump
• Missing / misplaced steel
Edge Slump
Top edge slumps down – Bottom edge slumps out –
Place straightedge on surface. Place straightedge along slab
Measure vertical distance edge. Measure horizontal
between edge of slab and distance between top edge of
straightedge. slab and straightedge.
51
Edge Slump
52
Edge Slump
Considerations:
• Concrete mix design (optimize!!!)
• Vibration
• Less is more
• Vibe monitors are helpful
• A small amount in limited areas is OK
53
Common Paving Problems
• Uncontrolled cracking
• Surface issues
• Edge slump
• Missing / misplaced steel
Misplaced dowels / sawcuts
Recommend:
Alternate: Full-Depth
Dowel BarRepair
Retrofit
55
Misplaced tiebars / sawcuts
Recommend: Cross Stitching
56
Conclusions
• Early pavement distresses are influenced by:
• Design features
• Materials selection (concrete mix design)
• Jointing (design, layout, & sawing)
• Environmental circumstances
• Human error
• Remedies are available to repair uncontrolled
cracks and other defects
• Standardized approaches are most effective
57
Learning Objectives
The goal of this module is to understand the
basic process of troubleshooting paving-
related problems:
• Problem identification
• Use of the IMCP Manual to diagnose problems
• Development of a plan to address the problem
58
When Do We See the Problem?
• Before the concrete has set 10.1
• First days after placing 10.2
• Some time after construction 10.3
• Assessing the damage 10.4
59
Case History 1
The problem:
• It’s August and hot
• Concrete coming out of the paver
is honeycombed
• It looks OK when unloaded from the truck
• 10-minute haul
60
Case History 1 (continued)
Actions taken:
• Phoned the batch plant
(They say the slump is in spec at loading)
• Added WRA
(It got worse)
• Turned up the vibrators
(The inspector complained about losing air
and signs of vibrator trails)
New observation: The color has changed
61
Case History 1 (continued)
Now what?
• Panic
(Doesn’t help)
• Visit the batch plant
Concrete looks great in the truck
Calibrations are OK
Aggregates are the same
Fly ash is different!!!
62
Case History 1 (continued)
Actions:
• Leave out fly ash
(Inspector refuses; it has to be there for ASR
mitigation)
• Revert to original fly ash supply
(No longer available)
• Delay WRA addition by 30 seconds
(It works)
63
Case History 1 (continued)
Why?
• Classic incompatibility
• Fly ash with high C3A content
• WRA at high temperature
64
Case History 1 (continued)
(IMCP—page 275)
65
Case History 2
A problem arose on the following project:
• Located in a mid-western state
• Rural paving
• 2 lanes each direction
• Slipform operation
• Concrete produced by portable batch plant
• Paved during summer
• Problem evident within 1 year of paving
What questions are relevant and what do you
think caused the problem??
66
Case History 2 (continued)
67
Case History 2 (continued)
68
Case History 2 (continued)
69
Case History 2 (continued)
70
Possible Solutions
• Refer to page 163 for discussion of random
longitudinal cracks
71
Case History 3
The problem:
• It’s October and warm
• Everything is going well, until…
• One 200-yard section is cracked laterally
every 20 feet
72
Case History 3 (continued)
Review:
• No change in materials
• No change in saw timing
• No change in base and subgrade
• Concrete placed between 9 and 11 am
• It rained at 4 pm
73
Case History 3 (continued)
Cause:
• Sharp drop in temperature when concrete is
at its hottest
Solution:
• Keep it warm
• Early entry sawing
74
Case History 3 (continued)
(IMCP—page 284)
75
Questions for Discussion
• What are the steps in identifying paving-
related problems?
• How is the IMCP Manual best used to assist in
identification of the problem and its solution?
• Is there a unique solution to most problems?
76
If you thought you were having a bad day…
77
Think again!!
78 I-70 near Hays, Kansas
Thank you ! Questions?
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