Joint Deterioration in Concrete Pavements

Concrete pavements located in cold climates have been experiencing premature joint deterioration. Entrapment of moisture in the joints saturates the surrounding concrete, rendering it susceptible to freeze–thaw damage. To identify and to isolate the variables that might be causing this localized deterioration, concrete cores were obtained from deteriorated and non-deteriorated sections of US 35, SR 38, and SR 3, located near Indianapolis, IN, and I-94, located near Michigan City, IN, USA. The visual evaluation of the condition of the pavement revealed that the drainage of the joints contributes significantly to their performance. Specifically, all deteriorated joint core holes drained poorly when compared with well-performing joint core holes or mid-panel joint core holes. Hardened air void parameters were determined following the procedure described in ASTM C457 and results for cores from deteriorated and non-deteriorated regions of the pavements were compared. The chemical and microstructural changes occurring in concrete were investigated using scanning electron microscope. Concrete panels with poor values of spacing factor and specific surface area were more prone to premature joint deterioration. Visual observation of coring sites on I-94 showed that unsealed joints performed better than sealed joints.