WHITE TOPPING : LONG LASTING CONCRETE
OVERLAY OF BITUMINOUS PAVEMENTS
BINOD KUMAR
SCIENTIST
RIGID PAVEMENTS DIVISION
CENTRAL ROAD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
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White Topping is defined as a Portland
Cement Concrete (PCC) overlay
constructed on the top of the existing
distressed bituminous pavement
White Topping is a PCC resurfacing
(overlay) as a rehabilitation or structural
strengthening alternative on bituminous
pavement
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Advantages of White Topping
Long life, low maintenance, low life cycle cost,
improved safety and environmental benefits
Bituminous overlay exhibits a more rapid loss of
serviceability as compared to concrete white
topping
Deformation like rutting and cracking
predominant in case of bituminous pavement
which is normally absent with concrete surfaces of
white topping
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Conventional White Topping improves structural
capacity of existing bituminous pavement, if built on
strong base course, and it impedes structural
distresses.
White Topping exhibits better reflectance,
reduction in heat island effect (Albedo), reduction in
street light requirements.
White Topping is quite cost effective to tackle
annual budget constraints and high traffic levels
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TYPES OF WHITETOPPING
1) Conventional White Topping (200mm or more)
2) Thin White Topping (TWT) (100-200mm)
3) Ultra-Thin White Topping (UTWT)(≤ 100 mm)
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Conventional White Topping (CWT)
A PCC overlay of thickness 200mm or more designed and
constructed without consideration of any bond between the
concrete overlay and underlying bituminous layer
It is constructed as a new rigid pavement without assuming
any composite action
CWT treats the existing bituminous surface as a subbase
Bituminous surface should not suffer from any isolated
damages like subsidence or material related problems
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Thin White Topping (TWT)
PCC overlay thickness greater than 100 and less than 200
is known as Thin White Topping(TWT)
The bond between the overlaid PCC and underlying
bituminous layer is often a consideration but not
mandatory
High strength concrete with fibres are commonly used
Joint spacing – 0.6 to 1.25m
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CONVENTIONAL WHITE TOPPING/ THIN WHITE TOPPING
•Localized areas of weakness can be strengthened through patching.
Milling can remove a number of asphalt surfaces distresses.
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TWT Overlays Application
More Heavy Loaded Routes
Rural Roads
Medium to Moderately
Heavy Volume Roads(e.g
MDR, SH, Low Traffic NH)
Intersections
Minor Airports Pavements
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Ultra Thin White topping
PCC overlay Thickness equal to less than 100 mm is
known as Ultra Thin White Topping(UTWT)
Bonding is mandatory in between the underlying
bituminous layer and overlaid PCC layer.
Bonding is achieved by milling the existing bituminous
surface upto 25mm depth.
Joint Spacing – 0.6 to 1.25 m
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ULTRA THIN WHITE TOPPING(UTWT)
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UTWT OVERLAY APPLICATIONS
Light Loaded Routes
Low Volume Roads
(Urban Streets, village
roads)
Parking lots
Footpaths
Residential Streets
Intersection
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Location where UTWT/TWT Constructed in India
Sr. Location, Year & Thickness App. Length and subbase Materials,
No Grade of
Concrete
1 In Front of Pune Municipal 20 m over asphalt FRC
Corporation, 2003, 125mm pavement M40
2 CRRI Campus road,2004, 40- 300m over asphalt, DLC FRC,HPC,
75mm and Concrete pavement HPFRC M 35
New Delhi
3 MoolChand and PremBari 500m over reinforced FRC, M40
Underpass , 2006, 125 mm, concrete slab using
New Delhi portland
slag cement
4 HRDC Centre, Ghaziabad, 2006, 1.75 km over M 7.5 DLC HPFRC, M35
50 mm laid over asphalt pavement
5 NDMC Office Campus road at 200m over asphalt FRC, M35
parliament street,2006, pavement
100 mm
6 Hosur Road, Bangalore, 2011, Over sceapped bituminous M45
150 mm pavement
7 Mahul Road, Mumbai,100mm, 30-50m over milled asphalt HPFRC,
2006-07 surface M50
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COMPOSITE BENDING ACTION OF
UTWT AND TWT
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MIX DESIGN
Typical higher cement content
Fast track type construction
Low water/cement ratio
Steel fibers/Synthetic
Creates Durable concrete, quick to opening to
traffic.
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CONSTRUCTION STEPS FOR
UTWT/TWT
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CONSTRUCTION STEPS
Mill and clean surface.
Place concrete, finish and cure
Early sawing is required
Opening to traffic.
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MILLING
oMilling can remove
significant surface distortions
that likely contain poor
quality asphalt material
oMilling is used to reduce
high spots and help ensure
desired overlay depth and
reduce the quantity of oDirect placement without
concrete needed to fill low milling is recommended when
spots rutting in the existing asphalt
pavement does not exceed 2”.
oMilling roughens the
surface to enhance the bond oAny ruts in the existing
between the new concrete pavement are filled with
overlay and the asphalt concrete, resulting in a thicker
concrete overlay above the ruts
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CLEANING OF SURFACE
Air Blasting/vacuum cleaner
Power Brooming
Water Blasting
Sand Blasting
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MILLING IN PROGRESS
MILLED & CLEANED
SURFACE
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SCRAPING IN PROGRESS
CLEANING OF SCRAPED
SURFACE
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PAVING WITH
VIBRATING SCREED
PAVING WITH
SLIPFORM PAVER
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FINISHING &
TEXTURING
CURING COMPUND
SPRAY
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JOINT SAWING
SAWING DEPTH
H/3 TO H/4
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COST COMPARISON
BITUMEN OVERLAY Vs. WHITE TOPPING
(Cost of 1 km Road 7 m wide)
No TYPE OF DESIGN SPECIFICATION TOTAL COST per
PAVEMENT REFERENCE COST sq. m
(Lakhs)
1. Bitumen IRC-37 DBM 65mm Rs.62.1 Rs. 890
overlay BC 50mm
2 White IRC-76 Milling / Scrapping Rs. 79.53 Rs. 1150
Toppings Profile correction 40 mm
Concrete 150 mm-M 45 (RMC
Laying with paver machine and
groove cutting with diamond
blade machine)
Note: In case of white topping, the cost is taken if concrete is purchased from RMC plant.
If contractor has his own batching plant, a saving of Rs. 50 per sq meter can be achieved
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REFERENCES
IRC: SP:76-2008 Tentative Guidelines For Coventional,
Thin And Ultra-thin Whitetopping
NCHRP Synthesis 338, “ Thin and Ultrathin
Whitetopping”
NCHRP Synthesis 204, “ Portland Cement concrete
Resurfacing”
American Concrete Pavement Association publications
Guide to Concrete overlay solutions (National Concrete
Pavement Technology Centre
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