What Is A Transverse Cracking in Concrete Pavement? Causes Of Transverse Cracking
What Is A Transverse Cracking in Concrete Pavement?
Transverse Cracking is a type of cracking caused by tension forces perpendicular to the direction of applied loads.
It often occurs when normal traffic causes the pavement surface to flex in response to the loads and can be seen as parallel cracks running along the road surface usually at right angles to the centre line of the road.
This damage can occur on both asphalt and concrete pavements regardless of their age, but will become more apparent over time due to cyclic loading from passing traffic.
Generally, Transverse Cracking is caused by inadequate structural support or poor design/construction practices, leading to premature pavement failure.
Proper maintenance and preventative measures are essential to reduce long-term repair costs and ensure safe passage for vehicles on roads, highways, parking lots and airport runways.
As temperatures fluctuate, the pavement will expand and contract, leading to a rougher surface and increased water penetration that can damage the base of the pavement. These changes can cause cracks to become wider and ultimately lead to further deterioration of the pavement, such as the formation of potholes, raveling, and voids.
A compromised base can quickly result in more significant fissures and gaps in the pavement. It is a type of surface distress in asphalt pavement caused by volumetric changes due to temperature variation and loading.
As understanding transverse cracking can help diagnose problems in paving products and provide knowledge for pavement design, this blog post will explore what transverse cracking is, how it occurs, and some strategies to prevent or address it.
Transverse cracks in concrete are usually caused by the contraction or shrinkage that occurs as the concrete cures and releases moisture. Other factors can also contribute to the formation of these cracks, but contraction is the primary cause.
To manage transverse cracking, construction joints are used in sidewalks and large slabs are cut into smaller sections no larger than 144 square feet. These joints help to control the cracking and keep it in a predictable location.
It is a common misconception that concrete does not crack, but in reality, all concrete will crack to some degree.
Causes Of Transverse Cracking
Pavement cracks may have a variety of causes, including a poorly constructed paving lane joint, shrinkage of the AC surface due to low temperatures or hardening of the asphalt, and reflective crack caused by cracks beneath the surface course, including cracks in PCC slabs but not at PCC joints.
Poorly constructed paving lane joints are usually caused by inadequate compaction or incorrect technique during installation. Shrinkage of an AC surface is usually due to colder weather conditions causing the pavement to contract as it cools down.
Hardening of asphalt can be caused by overexposure to sunlight resulting in increased stiffness of the material making it prone to cracking.
Lastly, reflective cracking occurs when there is movement underneath the pavement due to underlying structural failure which could be found in both PCC slabs and joints.
Diagnosis And Repair Techniques
Diagnosis and repair of transverse cracking is a complex process. To accurately diagnose the root cause of transverse cracking, experienced technicians need to closely inspect the pavement surface, looking for differential movement along the base or lateral movement at joints.
From there they may use specialist testing equipment such as asphalt strain gauges and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to further investigate the situation.
Once the root cause has been identified, repair solutions can vary from simple crack sealing to more extensive rehabilitation works such as milling and resurfacing or full reconstruction of affected areas. Whatever solution is chosen, great care must be taken when implementing them in order to ensure long-term durability of the pavement system.
