CONCRETE PAVEMENT
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BY MATTHEW ZELLER
To Maintain Or Not To Maintain (That Is The Question) Defining preventative maintenance for concrete pavement and the issues being prevented.
W
hile concrete is a durable, long-lived pavement solution, some conditions— such as expansion and contraction due to temperature change, or deviations in mix ingredients—represent real-world challenges for any pavement, regardless of its material composition. Pavements are carefully engineered to accommodate the forces at work during their service life. But it is still important to
regularly inspect roads, assess the extent of any pavement distress, and implement a fully adequate response. Preventative maintenance is so named for a reason. Single problems can have a “domino effect” and, if left unaddressed, can eventually be responsible for multiple problems. Therefore, it is important to understand first the goals and best practices for the initial design and construction of concrete pavement, and second, how maintenance schedules and activities should be conducted to maximize the pavement’s life.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION CONSIDERATIONS Concrete pavement distresses at times can manifest as cracking, broken slabs, buckling, or roughness, and these distress categories should be considered during a pavement’s design and construction phases. Contraction joints are one critical consideration because reduced slab thickness along the line of a joint is intended to permit controlled cracking when the concrete shrinks. (For this reason, this type of joint is often called
Transverse cracks often require dowel bar retrofit to prevent faulting. Here, a crew from Ramsey County, Minnesota, drills holes for dowel bars for a full-depth repair job with a 36-in. Minnich A-1 single gang drill. Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota Matthew J. Zeller
34 CONCRETE CONTRACTOR
APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2022
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