NTL Record

Title Achieving a High Level of Smoothness in Concrete Pavements Without Sacrificing Long-Term Performance
Record ID 66178
Personal Name
Creator
Perera, Rohan W.; Kohn, Starr D.; Tayabji, Shiraz D.
Personal Name
Contributor
Kopac, Peter
Corporate Creator United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Corporate
Contributor
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Publication Date 20051001
Language English
Abstract In a PCC pavement, it is important to achieve both a high level of smoothness during construction, as well as a satisfactory long-term performance. It is not acceptable to construct a pavement with a high initial smoothness that will give poor long-term performance. The design features and material properties of the PCC pavement should be conducive to yielding satisfactory long-term performance. Smoothness measurements for construction acceptance are usually performed shortly after paving is completed. The results from the smoothness measurements are used to judge whether the pavement has achieved the specified smoothness level. However, it is unclear whether the smoothness of a pavement measured immediately after it is paved truly reflects the initial smoothness of the pavement because the smoothness may undergo changes over the short term (e.g., within 3 months) due to curling or warping effects. This report: (1) assesses whether high initial smoothness translates into better long-term performance, (2) identifies design features and material properties in PCC pavements that can cause an initially smooth pavement to exhibit detrimental long-term performance, (3) provides guidance on materials properties, design features, and construction procedures to avoid these detrimental effects, (4) investigates how the smoothness of a PCC pavement measured immediately after construction can change over the short term (within the first 3 months), and (5) looks at data collection issues related to lightweight inertial profilers.
Rosap ID dot:40741
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/40741
TRT Terms Concrete pavements; Pavement performance; Smoothness; Paving
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
1013275
Contract Number DTFH61-01-C-00030
Report Number FHWA-HRT-05-068
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/66000/66100/66178/FHWA-HRT-05-068.pdf
Alternative URL https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/pccp/05068/index.cfm; https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/pccp/05068/05068.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository