Paving fabrics have been used for many years to retard reflective cracking and to enhance waterproofing in asphalt overlays. More recently, higher-strength geosynthetics have been incorporated into asphalt overlays to provide an even higher level of crack retardation and, in some cases, waterproofing. The mechanisms that lead to the enhanced performance of reinforced overlays have been described and quantified, demonstrating that the tensile stiffness added by the reinforcement allows the crack energy to be intercepted and reoriented horizontally. Therefore, it is important to better define and more clearly specify the desired tensile stiffness and how it should be measured. A summary of overlay reinforcement theory is presented to demonstrate the importance of reinforcement tensile properties. The results of laboratory testing of various geosynthetics used for asphalt overlay reinforcement are presented. Three standard tests were compared, and consistency was not found among results. A commonly used wide-width test method (ASTM D4595) was used to characterize the full tensile behavior (force-elongation relationship) for three of the materials. These test results were used to evaluate stiffness. The selection of tensile properties with respect to material and crack orientation and asphalt strain compatibility is discussed.
Tensile Properties of Asphalt Overlay Geosynthetic Reinforcement
Transportation Research Record
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board ; 1611 , 1 ; 65-69
1998-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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