Asphalt Pavement

TYPE OF DISTRESS POSSIBLE CAUSE MAINTENANC

E
SUGGESTIONS
Fatigue (Alligator) Cracking 1. Excessive Full-depth
loading patch
2. Weak surface,
base, or
subgrade
3. Thin surface or
base
4. Poor drainage
5. Any
combination of
1-4

1. Old and dried Any surface

Block Cracking out mix treatment or
2. Mix was placed thin overlay
too dry
3. Fine aggregate
mix with low
penetration
asphalt &
absorptive
aggregates
4. Aggravated by
low traffic
volume

1. Lack of lateral Improve

Edge Cracks support drainage.
2. Settlement of Remove
underlying vegetation
material close to edge.
3. Shrinkage of Fill cracks
drying out soil with asphalt
4. Weak base or emulsion
subgrade layer slurry or
5. Poor drainage emulsified
6. Frost heave asphalt
7. Heavy traffic or Crack seal/fill
vegetation
along edge

Longitudinal (Linear) & Transverse Cracking 1. Poorly Improve

constructed drainage by
paving joint removing the
crack source that
2. Shrinkage of traps the
the asphalt water
layer Seal crack or
3. Daily fill with
temperature asphalt
cycling emulsion
4. Cracks in an slurry or light
underlying layer grade of
 that reflect up asphalt mixed
through the with fine
pavement sand.
5. Longitudinal Provide side
segregation drainage
caused by the ditches
improper Crack seal/fill
operation of the
paver

Reflection Cracking 1. Differential Crack seal/fill

movement
between the
asphalt and
concrete layers
2. Can deteriorate
further under
heavy traffic

1. Lack of a good Partial or full-

Slippage Cracks bond between depth patch
surface layer
and the course
beneath due to
dust, oil, dirt,
rubber, water
and other non-
adhesive
material
2. Tack coat has
not been used
3. Mixture has a
high sand
content
4. Vehicular
turning or
stopping
movements in
pavements with
a low-strength
surface mix

1. Mixtures too Deep or full-

Corrugations & Shoving high in asphalt depth patch
2. Low air voids
3. Fine aggregate
content too
high
4. Excessive
moisture or
contamination
in the granular
base
5. Smooth or
rounded
aggregate
6. Incorrect
asphalt grade

1. Consolidation or Cold mill and

Rutting lateral overlay or thin
movement of surface patch
any of the
pavement
layers or the
subgrade under
traffic
2. Insufficient
design
thickness
3. Lack of
compaction
4. Weaknesses in
the pavement
layers due to
moisture
infiltration
5. Weak asphalt
mixtures

Settlement/Grade Depressions 1. Settlement or Cold mill and

failure in the overlay
lower pavement Thin surface
layers patch
2. Improper Infrared patch
construction
techniques

Upheaval/Swell 1. Expansive soils Full-depth

(which swell in patch
the presence of
moisture)
2. Frost heave (in
which ice lenses
grow beneath
the pavement,
causing the
pavement to
crack)

1. A portion of a Replace patch

Utility Cuts/Patch Failure pavement has with deep or
been removed full-depth
 and replaced patch
2. A portion of a
pavement
where
additional
material has
been added
3. Poor installation
techniques such
as inadequate
compaction,
inferior or
improper
materials
4. Failure of the
surrounding or
underlying
pavement

1. Continued Partial, full-

Pot Hole deterioration of depth or
another type of injection
distress, such patching
as thawing of a
frozen
subgrade,
cracking,
raveling, or a
failed patch
after pieces of
the original
pavement
surface have
been dislodged
2. Poor surface
mixtures
3. Weak spots in
the base or
subgrade
4. Severity of the
surrounding
distress and
traffic action
accelerate
potholes

Raveling/Weathering 1. Asphalt binder Any surface

has hardened treatment or
excessively thin overlay
2. Poor-quality
mixture
3. Usually requires
the presence of
both traffic and
water to occur

1. Improperly Chip Seals,

Bleeding constructed Sandwich
seal coat Seals, thin
2. Too much overlay
 asphalt in a mix
3. Too heavy a
prime or
bond/tack coat
4. Excessive
sealant in the
cracks or joints
under an
overlay
5. Traffic can
contribute to
bleeding if the
asphalt layers
become
overcompacted
and excess
asphalt is
forced to the
surface

Polished Aggregate 1. Soft aggregates Any surface

that polish treatment
quickly under except fog
traffic seal

1. Aggregate n ot Hot coarse

Loss of Aggregate on Surface Treatments spread sand spread
immediately over affected
2. Asphalt may areas
have cooled to Rolled
much immediately
3. Aggregate too after
dusty or too wet spreading
when spread with a
4. Not rolled pneumatic-
immediately tired roller
after placing it
may not
become seated
5. Steel-wheeled
roller alone was
used for
compaction
6. Weather too
cool when
treatment
applied
7. Fast traffic too
soon after
application

Longitudinal/Transverse Streaking 1. Aggregate not Re-seal

 spread surface using
immediately proper
2. Improper spray procedure and
bar height adjustment of
causing equipment
incorrect
overlap of the
spray fans
3. Changing spray
bar height as
the distributor
load decreases
4. Nozzle
problems
(incorrect
angle, incorrect
size, different
sizes, plugged
or restricted
nozzles, or ones
with
imperfections)
5. Nozzle control
linkage problem
6. Inconsistent
pump speed or
pressure to the
nozzles, and
varying
distributor
travel speed
7. Improper
application
temperature
(allowing the
asphalt material
to cool); and
Improper binder
choice
(viscosity too
high for existing
conditions and
equipment)