Crack sealing may be one of the most cost effective and frequently used, methods of pavement preservation. Sealing cracks in asphalt pavements helps reduce moisture and debris infiltration into the pavement structure which should result in increased pavement life expectancy. However, the lifeexpectancy of crack sealants is likely related to sealant type, installation method and pavement. And, it is logical to presume that sealant performance should be predictable. However, there have been indications that a certain amount of healing or resealing of asphalt-based crack sealants mayoccur during hot weather and through the kneading action of traffic. If this is true, performance prediction could become significantly more challenging. However, the implication could mean that sealing effectiveness hasgreater longevity than heretofore believed. To help answer this questionan experiment was designed to evaluate performance of three crack sealants placed in three environments using three distinct installation procedures and two methods of crack filling. Supplies were instructed to bring materials, equipment and personnel necessary to successfully install each of the products in six cracks per each of the treatment combinations. The objective of the experiment was to determine short and long term performance characteristics of each combination of material, method and location. Performance was evaluated by measuring the amount and severity of cracking asa function of the original filled crack length. Results indicate that healing or resealing is occurring and does not seem to be related to supplier, installation method or location.
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