International Focus Group on Rural Road Engineering

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Surface Dressing or Chip Sealing

Category : Technical Information/On-carriageway/

BACKGROUND

Surface dressing is a very effective maintenance technique which is capable of greatly

extending the life of a structurally sound road pavement if the process is undertaken at
the optimum time. Examples of the kinds of road conditions suitable for the treatment
of surface dressings are;

• Loss of road surface skid resistance.

• Hairline cracking of road surface.
• Poor running surface through loss of aggregate.
• Surfacing low volume sealed roads

Under certain circumstances surface dressing may also retard the rate of failure of a
structurally inadequate road pavement by preventing the ingress of water and thus
preserving the inherent strength of the pavement layers and the subgrade.

In addition to its maintenance role, surface dressing can provide an effective and
economical running surface for newly constructed road pavements up to traffic levels
of 10 million esa.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

A surface dressing comprises a thin film of binder sprayed onto a previously primed
roadbase, or existing road surface and then covered with a layer of stone chippings.
The thin film of binder acts as a waterproofing layer preventing the entry of surface
water into the road structure. The stone chippings protect this film of binder from
damage by vehicle tyres, and form a durable, skid-resistant and dust-free wearing
surface. It should be understood that surface dressing does not contribute to the
structural strength of the road structure but can contribute to the performance of a
road by preventing the ingress of water.

FEATURES

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Types of surface dressing

Surface dressings can be constructed in a number of ways to suit site conditions. The
common types of dressing are described below.

Single surface dressing.

When applied as a maintenance operation to an existing bituminous road surface a

single surface dressing can fulfill the functions required of a maintenance re-seal,
namely waterproofing the road surface, arresting deterioration, and restoring skid
resistance. A single surface dressing may also be adequate as the initial surfacing on
a lightly trafficked new road, provided the workmanship is good and the subsequent
recurrent minor maintenance operations are performed when required. However, a
double seal or a ‘racked-in’ dressing are preferred in both cases because the heavier
applications of binder provides a more durable surfacing.

Double surface dressing

Double surface dressings are robust and should be used when;

• a new roadbase is surface dressed;

• extra ‘cover’ is required on an existing bituminous road surface because of its
condition (eg when the surface is more badly cracked or patched);
• the chippings available are particularly poorly shaped; or
• the chippings available are particularly weak, and crush or abrade quickly.

The quality of a double surface dressing will be greatly enhanced if traffic is allowed
to run on the first dressing for a minimum period of 2-3 weeks (and preferably longer)
before the second dressing is applied. This allows the chippings of the first dressing
to adopt a stable interlocking mosaic that provides a firm foundation for the second
dressing.

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Racked-in surface dressing

This system is recommended for use where traffic is particularly heavy or fast. A
heavy single application of binder is made and a layer of large chippings is spread to
give approximately 90 percent coverage. This is followed immediately by the
application of smaller chippings which should ‘lock-in’ the larger aggregate and form
a stable mosaic. The amount of bitumen used is more than would be used with a
single seal but less than for a double seal. The main advantages of the racked-in
surface dressing are;

• less risk of dislodged large chippings;

• early stability through good mechanical interlock; and
• good surface texture.

DESIGN ASPECTS

The principal factors that influence the design of surface dressing are the traffic,
existing site conditions, size and type of chippings and the type of bituminous binder.
Figure 1 shows the basis of surface dressing design and the interrelated variables
involved.

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Figure 1

Chippings

The selection of chipping sizes is based on the volume of commercial vehicles

(AADT) having unladen weights of more than 1.5 tonnes and the hardness of the
existing pavement. Ideally, chippings used for surface dressing should be single
sized, cubical in shape clean and free from dust, strong, durable, and not susceptible
to polishing under the action of traffic. Samples of the chippings should be tested for
grading, flakiness index, and aggregate crushing value.

The nominal sizes of chippings normally used for surface dressing are 6, 10, 14 and
20 mm. Specifications for maximum aggregate crushing value (ACV), typically lie in
the range 20 to 35. For lightly trafficked roads the higher value is likely to be
adequate but on more heavily trafficked roads a maximum ACV of 20 is
recommended.

Flaky chippings are those with a thickness (smallest dimension) less than 0.6 of their
nominal size. The proportion of flaky chippings clearly affects the average thickness
of a single layer of the chippings, and it is for this reason the concept of the ‘average
least dimension’ (ALD) of chippings has been introduced. In effect the ALD is the
average thickness of a single layer of chippings when they have bedded down into

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their final interlocked positions. The amount of binder required to retain a layer of
chippings is related to the ALD of the chippings rather than to their nominal size. The
ALD may be determined in two methods.

Method 1

A grading analysis is performed on a representative sample of the chippings. The

sieve size through which 50 percent of the chippings pass is determined (i.e. the
‘median size’). The flakiness index (FI) is then also determined. Flakiness Index is
determined on the following fractions;

20 – 14 mm, 14 – 10 mm, 10 – 6.3 mm and 6.3 – 3.35 mm.

The ALD of the chippings is then derived from the equation,

ALD(mm) = 0.817 × MEDIAN SIZE(mm) – 0.065 × FI.

Method 2

A representative sample of the chippings is carefully subdivided to give

approximately 200 chippings. The least dimension of each chipping is measured
manually using a vernier gauge and the mean value, or ALD, is calculated.

The action of commercial traffic on a surface dressing gradually forces the chippings
into the underlying surface. This embedment process occurs more rapidly when the
underlying road surface is softer, or when the volume of traffic, particularly of
commercial vehicles, is high. Accordingly, larger chippings are required on soft

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surfaces or where traffic is heavy whilst small chippings are best for hard surfaces.
For all practical purposes the range of sizes of chippings suitable for surface dressing
is 6 to 20mm. Guidance on the assessment of road hardness and selection of the
appropriate nominal chipping size is shown in Tables 2 and 3.

Road surface hardness may be also be assessed by a simple penetration probe test.
This test utilises a modified soil assessment cone penetrometer and is described in
Appendix D of Overseas Road Note 3 (Transport Research laboratory, 2000).

Table 2

Surface
Definition
category
Surfaces, such as concrete or very lean bituminous structures with
Very
dry stony surfaces, into which negligible penetration of chippings
hard
will occur even under the heaviest traffic.
Surfaces into which chippings will penetrate only slightly under
Hard
heavy traffic.
Surfaces into which chippings will penetrate moderately under
Normal
medium and heavy traffic.
Surfaces into which chippings will penetrate considerably under
Soft
medium and heavy traffic.
Surfaces, usually rich in binder, into which even large chippings
Very soft
will be submerged under heavy traffic.

Table 3

Approximate number of commercial vehicles with an unladen

weight greater than 1.5 tonnes currently carried per day in the design
Type of
lane
surface
2000 - 4000 1000 - 2000 200 - 1000 20 - 200 Less than
20
Very hard 10 10 6 6 6

Hard 14 14 10 6 6

Normal 20 14 10 10 6

Soft * 20 14 14 10

Very soft * * 20 14 10

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Determination of the spread rate of chippings

An estimate of the rate of application of the chippings, assuming that the chippings
have a loose density of 1.35Mg/m3, can be calculated from the following equation;

Chipping application rate (kg/m2) = 1.364 × ALD

Bituminous binder

The correct choice of bitumen for surface dressing work is important. The bitumen
must fulfil a number of important requirements. They must;

• be capable of being sprayed;

• ‘wet’ the surface of the road in a continuous film;
• not run off a cambered road or form pools of binder in local depressions;
• ‘wet’ and adhere to the chippings at road temperature;
• be strong enough to resist traffic forces and hold the chippings at the highest
prevailing ambient temperatures;
• remain flexible at the lowest ambient temperature, neither cracking nor
becoming brittle enough to allow traffic to ‘pick-off’ the chippings; and
• resist premature weathering and hardening.

The viscosity of the binder should lie between approximately 104 and 7 x 105
centistokes at the road surface temperature. At the lower road temperatures cutback
grades of bitumen are most appropriate, whilst at higher road temperatures penetration
grade bitumens can be used. Table 4 is a guide to the recommended binders to use for
surface dressing over a range of road surface temperatures and trafic conditions. If
coated chippings are used the minimum temperature can be reduced by 10oC.

Table 4

Light traffic Heavy traffic

Binder Road surface temperature oC
Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum
MC 3000 15 46 22 41
400/500 Pen. Grade 35 65 43 61
180/200 Pen. Grade 45 74 53 70
80/100 Pen. Grade 53 80 58 76

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The temperature/viscosity relationships do not apply to bitumen emulsions. These

have a relatively low viscosity and ‘wet’ the chippings readily, after which the
emulsion ‘breaks’, the water evaporates, and particles of high viscosity bitumen
adhere to the chippings and the road surface.

Depending upon availability and local conditions at the time of construction, the
following types of bitumen are commonly used.

Penetration grade bitumens.

Penetration grade bitumens vary between 80/100 to approximately 700 penetration.

The softer penetration grade binders are produced at the refinery or, in the field, using
different amounts of kerosene, diesel or a blend of kerosene and diesel. With higher
solvent contents the binder has too low a viscosity to be classed as being of
penetration grade and is then referred to as a cutback bitumen which, for surface
dressing work, is usually an MC3000 grade.

Bitumen emulsion.

Cationic bitumen emulsion with a bitumen content of 70 to 75 per cent is

recommended for most surface dressing work. This type of binder can be applied at a
temperature between 70 and 85oC and once applied it will break rapidly on contact
with chippings of most mineral types. The cationic emulsifier is normally an anti-
stripping agent and this ensures good initial bonding between chippings and the
bitumen.

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Cutback bitumens.

Except for very cold conditions, MC3000 grade cutback is normally the most fluid
binder used for surface dressings. This grade of cutback is basically an 80/100
penetration grade bitumen blended with approximately 12 to 14 per cent by volume of
a 3:1 mixture of kerosene and diesel.

Polymer modified bitumens.

Polymers can be used in surface dressing to modify penetration grade, cutback

bitumens and emulsions. Usually these modified binders are used at locations where
the road geometry, traffic characteristics or the environment, dictate that the road
surface experiences high stresses.

The selection of the appropriate binder for a surface dressing is usually constrained by
the range of binders available from suppliers, although it is possible for the user to
modify the viscosity of penetration grade and cutback binders to suit local conditions.

The factors to be taken into account in selecting an appropriate binder are:

• The road surface temperature at the time the surface dressing is undertaken.
For penetration grade and cutback binders the viscosity of the binder should be
between 104 and 7x105 centistokes at the road surface temperature.

• The nature of the chippings. If dusty chippings are anticipated and no

pretreatment is planned, the viscosity of the binder used should be towards the
lower end of the permissible range. If the binder selected is an emulsion it
should be borne in mind that anionic emulsions may not adhere well to certain
acidic aggregates such as granite and quartzite.
• The characteristics of the road site. Fluid binders such as emulsions are not
suited to steep crossfalls or gradients since they may drain off the road before
‘breaking’. However, it may be possible to use a ‘split application’ of binder.

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• The type of binder handling and spraying equipment available. The

equipment must be capable of maintaining an adequate quantity of the selected
binder at its appropriate spraying temperature and spraying it evenly at the
required rate of spread.
• The costs of the binders available. The amount of binder required per unit
area of surface dressing should be estimated and costed.
Consideration of these factors will usually narrow the choice of binder to one or two
options. The final selection will be determined by other factors such as the experience
of the surface dressing team.

Surface dressing design for roads carrying less than 100 vehicles per day

If a low volume road, carrying less than approximately 100 vehicles per day, is
surface dressed it is very important that the seal is designed to be as durable as
possible to minimise the need for subsequent maintenance.

A double surface dressing should be used on new roadbases and the maximum
durability of the seal can be obtained by using the heaviest application of bitumen
which does not result in bleeding.

Where crushing facilities are put in place solely to produce chippings for a project, it
will be important to maximise use of the crusher output. This will require the use of
different combinations of chipping sizes and correspondingly different bitumen spray
rates. It may be desirable to use chippings of a larger size than those recommended in
Table 3 for reasons of economy.

It is recommended that on low volume roads the binder spray rates should be
increased above the basic rate of spread of binder (R), by up to the percentages given
in Table 6. It is important that these increased spray rates are adjusted on the basis of
trial sections and local experience.

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Table 6

ALD of chippings 3 6 >6

All traffic (vehicles/lane/day) <20 20-100 <20 20-100 <20 20-100
Increase in binder spray rate (per cent) 15 10 20 15 30 20

Determining the bituminous binder spray rate

Having selected the nominal size of chipping and the type of binder to be used, the
next step in the design of a surface dressing is to determine the rate of spray of the
binder.

The ALD of the chippings is used with an overall weighting factor to determine the
basic rate of spray of bitumen. The overall weighting factor ‘F’ is determined by
adding together four factors that represent; the level of traffic, the condition of the
existing road surface, the climate and the type of chippings that will be used. Factors
appropriate to the site to be surface dressed are selected from Table 5.

Table 5

Property Description Factor

Total traffic (all Vehicles/lane/day +3
classes)
Very light 0 -50 +1

Light 50 - 250 0

Medium 250 - 500 -1

Medium-heavy 500 - 1500 -3

Heavy 1500 - 3000 -5

Very heavy 3000+

Existing surface Untreated or primed base +6

Very lean bituminous +4

Lean bituminous 0

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Average bituminous -1

Very rich bituminous -3

Climatic conditions Wet and cold +2

Tropical (wet and hot) +1

Temperate 0

Semi-arid (hot and dry) -1

Arid (very dry and very hot) -2

Type of chippings Round/dusty +2

Cubical 0

Flaky -2

Pre-coated -2

Using the ALD and ‘F’ values in equation 1 will give the required basic rate of spread
of binder.

R = 0.625 + (F × 0.023) + [0.0375 + (F × 0.0011)] × ALD ------------ (1)

Where

F = Overall weighting factor

ALD = the average least dimension of the chippings (mm)

R = Basic rate of spread of bitumen (kg/m2).

The basic rate of spread of binder is then adjusted to take account of traffic speed and
road gradient as follows.

For slow traffic or climbing grades with gradients steeper than 3 percent, the basic
rate of spread of binder should be reduced by approximately 10 percent.

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For fast traffic or downgrades steeper than 3 percent the basic rate of spread of binder
should be increased by approximately 10 percent.

The basic rate of spread of binder, equation 1, applies to 3000 grade cutback binders
only and therefore must also then be modified to allow for other types of binder that
may be used. The following modifications are appropriate:

• Penetration grade binders: decrease the rate of spread by 10 percent.

• MC3000 no modification is required.
• Emulsion binders: multiply the rate of spread by 90/bitumen content of the
emulsion (per cent). This calculation includes a reduction of ten per cent for
the residual penetration grade binder.

PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Bituminous binder distributors

The success of a surface dressing is very dependent on the binder being applied
uniformly at the correct rate of spread. The method adopted for distributing binder
must therefore;

• be capable of spreading the binder uniformly and at the predetermined rate of

spread; and
• be able to spray a large enough area in a working day to match the required
surface dressing programme.

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Bituminous binder distributor

There are two basic types of bulk binder distributors, constant volume, and constant
pressure machines.

Constant volume distributors.

These distributors are fitted with positive displacement pumps, the output of which
can be pre-set. All the binder delivered by the pump is fed to the spray-bar when
spraying is in progress and there is no by-pass arrangement for re-circulating binder to
the tank. For a spray bar of given length and output, the rate of spread of binder on
the road is inversely proportional to the forward road speed of the distributor. On
most constant volume machines it is possible to preheat the spray bar by circulating
hot binder to it before spraying commences but this facility is not available on all
machines.

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Constant pressure distributors.

In these distributors a pump of adequate capacity delivers binder to the spray bar at a
pre-set pressure. A relief valve regulates the pressure and permits binder to bypass
the spray bar and return to the tank. The pressure in the spray bar is not affected by
the number of jets in use, and hence re-calibration is not required when spray bar
extensions are fitted or the number of jets are reduced. As with constant volume
machines, the rate of spread of binder varies inversely with the road speed of the
distributor.

Chipping spreaders

Chippings can be spread on the sprayed binder by hand and good results can be
obtained by this method providing a well-trained and plentiful labour force is
available. In general, however, better results will be obtained when chippings are
spread mechanically since this facilitates a more even distribution and rapid
application of the chippings after the binder has been sprayed. There are three main
types of chip spreader;

• Metering or non-metering ‘tail-board’ types.

• Pushed metering chip spreaders.
• Self-propelled metering or non metering chip spreaders.

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Non-metering 'tail-board' chipping spreader

Rollers

The rolling of a surface dressing plays an important part in ensuring the retention of
the chippings by assisting in the initial orientation and bedding down of the chippings
in the binder. Steel wheeled rollers have been used but these tend to crush weaker
aggregates and to crack poorly shaped chippings. If steel wheeled rollers are used they
should not exceed 8 tonnes in weight and should only be used on chippings which are
strong enough. In general pneumatic tyred rollers are preferred. These have the
advantage that the kneading action of the tyres tends to manoeuvre the chippings into
a tight mosaic without splitting them and they do not ‘bridge’ depressions in the
underlying road surface as is the tendency with steel wheeled rollers.

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Pneumatic tyred roller

Other equipment

Mechanical brooms, either towed or powered, are for obtaining a clean road surface
prior to spraying the binder and for the clearance of excess chippings after
construction of the surface dressing.

Front-end loaders are required primarily for handling chippings. They are essential for
loading tipping lorries quickly with chippings at the stockpile to ensure that a
continuous supply is delivered to the surface dressing site. Front-end loaders are, of
course, also useful for many general lifting duties.

CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

Preparation for surface dressing

A typical sequence of events in the planning of a surface dressing operation is as

follows;

1. Select lengths of road requiring surface dressing and detail the preliminary
work required on each road before the surface dressing can be carried out.

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2. Implement the necessary preliminary work such as patching, heating and

planing, shoulder and edge repairs, drainage works, reinstatement of service
trenches etc. Allow as much time as possible for trafficking before
commencement of surface dressing operations.
3. Decide on the type of surface dressing, the binder to be used and nominal
chipping sizes.
4. Ensure that the chippings will be of adequate quality with suitable ALD
value(s). Stockpile chippings at convenient points along the road to be sealed
to minimise haul distances during construction. Sample the chippings and
confirm their suitability, modify the surface dressing design if necessary.
5. Order the appropriate binder for the anticipated weather conditions, or make
provision for blending and adding adhesion agents as required.
6. Ensure that all the plant and equipment of the unit is in good working order.
7. Instruct the construction team of the details of the work programme.
8. Inform the police and other organisations likely to be affected by the surface
dressing operation.
9. Inform the Materials Laboratory and arrange for the testing of aggregates and
binder and rate of spread checks during spraying.

Surface dressing construction

The following sequence of events normally comprises the complete surface dressing
operation:

1. The supervisor arrives on site with traffic control equipment and supervises
the placing of warning signs, control barriers, traffic cones, etc.
2. The surface dressing unit arrives on site and the distributor is parked off the
road whilst the binder temperature is adjusted using the burners; binder is
circulated through the spray bar, and the jets are checked for correct operation.
3. The supervisor instructs the distributor crew on the spray rate required, the
corresponding road speed and the pump output, where this is necessary.
4. The chipping crew load the tipper lorries with chippings and the lorries line up
ready to follow the distributor at the location specified by the supervisor.
5. The rollers also prepare to follow the distributor after the chipping lorries.
6. The road is thoroughly swept and road furniture is masked so as to prevent
contamination with binder.
7. Cut-off sheets of paper or other material are placed at the beginning and end of
the spray run. The supervisor checks that the road is in fit condition for
spraying.
8. The burners on the distributor are extinguished and, with the machine standing
level, the dip stick provided with the distributor is used to checked the volume
of bitumen in the tank. The distributor is then positioned at the beginning of
the spray run.
9. The driver adjusts the guide chain, the fifth wheel is lowered to the ground,
and the height of the spray bar is adjusted.
10. The distributor then commences the spraying run, the cut-off sheets being
removed immediately the distributor passes to avoid contamination of the
wheels of the chip spreader or tipper lorries.

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11. The chip spreader, tippers and the rollers should follow closely behind the
distributor. Spraying should be stopped if the chipping operation is delayed
for any reason. A strip of binder 150mm wide is left unchipped at the edge of
the lane to allow for the overlap of the adjacent run of the distributor.
12. A tipper and crew should move slowly over the new dressing, spreading
chippings by hand shovels on areas where there is a deficiency of chippings.
13. The operation is then repeated on the adjacent pass (if any) and traffic is
allowed to move slowly over the new dressing.
14. The distributor then returns to a level site and the volume of binder remaining
is checked. The supervisor records the amount of binder used, and knowing
the total area sprayed, calculates the average rate-of-spread.
15. Speed control and other traffic warning signs are left in position along the
length of the new surface dressing.
16. At the completion of the day's work the distributor spray bar is cleaned, all
vehicles and plant refuelled and lubricated and the supervisor checks that the
bitumen heaters are loaded ready to supply the binder required for the next
day.

After-care of surface dressing

After-care is an essential part of the surfacing process and consists of removing

excess chippings within 24 to 48 hours of the construction of a dressing. Some of the
excess chippings will have been thrown clear by passing vehicles but some loose
chippings will remain on the surface and these are a hazard to windscreens and hence
a source of public complaint. They can be removed by brooming or by purposed
made suction cleaners. Care must be taken with brooming to avoid damage to the
new dressing and it is usually best to do this work in the early morning when the
surface dressing binder is still relatively stiff. It is important to stress that over-
chipping can reduce the quality of a dressing, make after-care more time
consuming and also unnecessarily increase costs.

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Brushing excess chippings

REFERENCE DATA AND FURTHER INFORMATION

Transport Research Laboratory (2000). A Guide to Surface Dressing in Tropical and

Sub-Tropical Countries. Overseas Road Note No 3. (2nd Edition). Crowthorne: TRL
Limited.

Hitch L S and Stewart M (1987). The Preparation of Cutback Bitumens to ASTM

Specifications by Blending Readily Available Constituents. Department of Transport,
TRRL Report RR104, Crowthorne.

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