SIMAD UNIVERSITY

Introduction
• Understanding and addressing potential
pavement defects is crucial throughout
the entire lifecycle of a road, from initial
design to construction and maintenance.
• Pavement section may fail if the quality
control measures are not strictly adhered
to during construction. Substandard
materials, improper construction
techniques, or inadequate equipment can
lead to premature deterioration and
reduced performance.
• In fact, the job of the engineer it not
only to design and construct the roads,
but is to maintain the roads for the safe,
economic and convenient movements of
passengers and goods at all times.
• Failure of road pavements could be
hazardous and may also affect the
economy. Even if the highway are well
designed and constructed, they may
require periodic maintenance, the extent
of which would however depend upon
 Failures in pavements
• Pavement failures occur when the road
surface deteriorates, losing its structural
integrity and smoothness.

• These failures can significantly impact

safety, ride quality, and the overall
lifespan of the road.

• The subsequent slides will detail the

most common types of pavement failures.
 1) PAVEMENT
CRACKS
• Pavement cracks are linear breaks or
separations in the pavement surface.
They can vary in size, shape, and severity,
and can significantly impact the
structural integrity, ride quality, and
overall performance of the pavement.

• Pavement cracks are one of the most

common types of distress in both rigid
and flexible pavements.
 a) Crocodile
Cracks
• Crocodile cracks are interconnected or
interlaced cracks which form a network
of multi-sided blocks resembling the skin
of a crocodile.
• Block size can range from 100mm – 300
mm.
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE TREATMENTS

Inadequate pavement - Strengthen the pavement

thickness - Reconstruction
Fatigue Failure - Regular Maintenance,
resurfacing
- Load Restrictions
Low modulus base - Strengthen the base
- Reconstruction
Brittle wearing course - Replace or treat wearing
course
 b) Block
Cracks
• Block cracks are interconnected cracks
forming a series of blocks, approximately
rectangular in shape.
• Block sizes are usually greater than 300
mm and can exceed 3000 mm. Other term:
Ladder cracks
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Temperature Fluctuations Asphalt Overlay

Aging of Pavement Sealcoating: Apply a

sealant to prevent water
infiltration.
Subgrade instability Subgrade Stabilization
 c) Longitudinal
Cracks

• Longitudinal cracks are cracks which

are usually straight and parallel to the
centerline, situated at or near the
middle of the lane.
• It can happen singly or as series of
almost parallel cracks or with some
limited branching.
• Other term : Line cracks
Longitudinal
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Reflection of shrinkage Cut and patch
cracks
Poorly constructed Replace bituminous
paving lane in surfacing
bituminous surfacing
Displacement of joints at Reconstruction of joints
pavement widening

Differential settlement Reconstruction

between cut and fill
 d)Transverse
Cracks
Transverse cracks are unconnected cracks
running transversely (relatively
perpendicular to the pavement centerline)
across the pavement
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Temperature Variations -Asphalt Overlay
/Sealcoating
Fatigue - Strengthening
Pavement
- Load Transfer Devices
eg dowel bars
Moisture Drainage Improvements
Crack Sealing
 e) Edge
• Edge cracks
Cracksare crescent-shaped or fairly
continuous cracks, parallel to centerline ,
and usually within 300 mm – 600 mm of
the pavement edge.
• It usually occurs when paved shoulders do
not exist.
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Excessive traffic loading - Widen the pavement
at pavement - Strengthen the pavement
edge
Inadequate pavement Widen the pavement
width which forces
traffic too close to
pavement edge
Vegetation Growth - Use root barriers.
- Regularly monitor and
remove new growth.
 F) Crescent-shaped
Cracks
• Crescent-shaped cracks are half-moon
in shape, commonly associated with
shoving, often occurring in closely
spaced parallel group.
• It is mainly associated with the
bituminous layer only.
• Other terms : Parabolic , slippage , shear
cracks
Crescent-shaped cracks
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Lack of bond between Cut and patch
wearing course and the
underlying layers
Low modulus base Reconstruction of base
course
Thin wearing course Bituminous overlay
Dragging of paver Cut and patch
during laying when
bituminous mix
temperatures were low
 2) SURFACE
DEFORMATION
• Deformation takes place when a road
surface undergoes changes from its
original constructed profile.
• It may occur after construction due to
factors like heavy traffic or adverse
weather conditions.
• In some instances, poor construction
practices can lead to deformation even
in newly constructed roads
• It influences the riding quality of a
pavement and may indicate underlying
structural weaknesses. It may lead to
 A)
Rutting
• Rutting is longitudinal deformation or
depression in the wheel paths which
occur after repeated applications of axle
loading.
• It may occur in one or both wheel paths
of a lane. Pavement uplift (shearing) may
occur along the sides of the rut.
• Ruts are particularly evident after a rain
when they are filled with water.
Rutting
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Inadequate pavement - Strengthening overlay
thickness - Reconstruction
Inadequate compaction of Reconstruction
structural layers
Unstable bituminous mixes Replace or recycle bituminous
surfacing or use stiffer mix or
HCM
Overstressed Subgrade Reconstruction
which deforms
permanently
 B)
CORRUGATION
• Corrugations are regular transverse
undulations, closely spaced alternate
valleys and crests with wavelengths of
less than 2 m.
• Generally, it will result in a rough ride
and will become worse with time.
• Other term : Rippling
Corrugation
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Inadequate stability of Replace bituminous surface
bituminous surface
Compaction of base in Base reconstruction
wave form
Heavy traffic on steep Mill off corrugated surface
downgrade or upgrade and
replace with stiffer mix or
HCM
Stopping at intersection Mill off corrugated surface
stoplights or roundabout and
replace with stiffer mix or
HCM
 C) DEPRESSION

• Depressions are localized areas within a

pavement with elevations lower than the
surrounding area.
• They may not be confined to wheel paths only
but may extend across several wheel paths.
Generally, it results from settlement, slope
failure, or volume changes due to moisture
changes.
• Other term : Distortion
Depression
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Poor Compaction Ensure proper compaction
equipment and techniques
are used
Differential settlement Subgrade or base
of Subgrade or base reconstruction
materials
Moisture Infiltration Improve drainage systems

Pavement Design Flaws Review and update design

standards
 3) SURFACE
DEFECTS
• Surface defects cover loss of surfacing
materials, loss of surface micro and
macro textures.
• While they do not usually indicate
pavement structural inadequacy, they
have a significant influence on the
serviceability and safety of a pavement,
especially with regard to skid resistance,
maneuverability and riding quality.
• Some defects, if not corrected, may lead
to subsequent loss of pavement
 A)
BLEEDING
• Bleeding is the presence of free bitumen
binder on the surface resulting from
upward migration of the binder, causing
low texture depth and inadequate tyre to
stone contact.
• It is most likely to occur in the wheel
paths during hot weather.
• Other terms : Flushing, fatting, slick, black
spot
Bleeding
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Excessive application of Apply hot sand to blot up the
binder with respect to the excess binder
aggregate size

Paving over flushed Apply hot sand or aggregate

surfaces. seal
coat

Paving excessively primed Apply hot sand

surfaces
 B)
• Ravelling isRAVELLING
the progressive disintegration
of the pavement surface by loss of binder
or aggregates or both.
• Other term : Fretting
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Insufficient bitumen
content
Poor adhesion of
bitumen binder to
aggregate particles due
to wet aggregate Thin bituminous overlay
Inadequate
compaction or
construction during
wet weather
 C)
DELAMINATION
• Delamination is the loss of a discrete
and large (minimum 0.01 square meter)
area of the wearing course.
• Usually there is a clear delineation of the
wearing course and the layer below.
• Other terms : Peeling , surface lifting , seal
break , flaking
Delamination
POSSIBLE CAUSES PROBABLE
TREATMENTS
Inadequate tack coat before Mill off and re-lay the upper
placement of upper layers layers

Seepage of water through - Replace wearing course

asphalt, especially in cracks, - Thin bituminous overlay
to break bond between
surface and lower layers
Contamination of the Cleaning the existing
existing pavement surface pavement surface to remove
with dirt, oil, or water any contaminants before
applying the tack coat.
Insufficient Compaction Ensure proper compaction
equipment and techniques
are used.
Thank
you