The purpose of this project was to determine whether any, or various, uses of geotechnical fabrics and fibers will significantly retard reflective cracking in an asphaltic concrete overlay. Four paving fabrics, one fiberized-asphalt membrane, and one fiber-reinforcedasphaltic concrete were the treatment alternatives being evaluated.All treatments were compared with each other and with untreated control sections to determine relative performance. Considerations in making these coparisons were construction and maintenance costs, ease of placement, and the ability to prevent or retard reflective cracking. Performance data are presented for surveys conducted at 8 months, 26 months, and 44 months after construction. All treatments retarded cracks over the evaluation period, although the amount and rateof reduction varied. One paving fabric and fiber-reinforced asphaltconcrete had the highest crack reduction ratios after the 44-month evaluation. On the basis of all factors considered in the evaluation--cost, ease of construction, and performance relative to distress treated--the fiber-reinforced concrete provided superior performance relative to the treatment alternatives. However, on the basis of theextent of cracking evident after the 44-month survey, and considering current and proposed crack sealing costs in addition to the documented construction costs, none of the treatments used on this project was found to be cost-effective or recommended for use. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1248, Geosynthetics, geomembranes, and silt curtains in transportation facilities.
Abstract