Evaluation of the performance of polyurethane foams in rigid pavement preservation

After several years of service, concrete pavement slabs tend to settle due to weak subgrade or erosion of the subgrade soil. Different treatment techniques have been used to rectify the problem. In recent years, high-density polyurethane (HDP) foams were introduced on concrete pavements after their success in leveling settled sidewalks and building bases/foundations. Compared to other traditional slabs jacking/stabilization material, HDP foams are cost-effective, their installation requires shorter lane closure times and protects the subgrade from subsurface water infiltration by filling the voids. In 2015 and 2016, the Tennessee DOT applied HDP material on sections of Interstate I-24 and I-75 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to lift and level settled concrete pavement slabs. Longitudinal profiles data were collected using a standard high-speed inertial profiler before and after application of the material to assess the performance of the treated sections over time. These data were evaluated by using the profile viewing and analyzing (ProVAL) software to compute the international roughness index (IRI) and the transverse joint faulting. Results show that application of HDP foams did neither improve nor retrogress the pavement condition but maintained it in its state before application of the material. This study recommends an in-depth ground investigation to be carried out before injection of the material, establishment of a standardized protocol for selecting pavement sections suitable for HDP foam injection, and contractors to use sophisticated leveling equipment, instead of the adjacent slab as a reference, to avoid accumulation of errors due to over correction.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Fortunatus, Mawazo

Contributors dc:contributor

• Onyango, Mbakisya
• Owino, Joseph; Fomunung, Ignatius; Wu, Weidong
• College of Engineering and Computer Science

• Pavements, Concrete -- Maintenance and repair
• Polyurethanes -- Properties

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/569

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1724