A study of transverse cracking of asphalt pavements in Manitoba

Abstract

Transverse cracking of bituminous pavements is a form of pavement distress which induces losses in pavement peformance and reduction in pavement service life. To alleviate the problem, more information is needed about the mechanism of transverse pavement cracking and the low temperature properties of highway construction materials. The Ste. Anne Test Road was constructed in Manitoba in 1967 and was designed for the study of transverse pavement cracking. Twenty-nine test sections were constructed incorporating a number of different materials and pavement structures, judged to be potentially important in the study of transverse cracking... A study of the mechanics of the fracture phenomenon indicated that most of the transverse cracking initiated during a prolonged low temperature cycle which has an average recurrence interval in southern Manitoba between five and ten years. Based on observations, crack detection instrumentation data and an x-ray study, transverse cracking was judged to initiate at the pavement surface. Analyses of the effect of the variables on the transverse cracking frequency of asphaltic concrete pavements indicated that transverse cracking can be alleviated through the selection of asphalts of the proper type and grade...