In October 1990, the US Army Engineer Waterways Experimental Station (WES) was requested by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division, Charleston, South Carolina, to provide technical assistance in analyzing the airfield pavement distresses at Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Forida. Runways 9/27 and 14/32 had been rehabilitated and resurfaced with asphalt concrete in 1988. Within 1year, significant amounts of loose fine aggregate appeared on the pavement surface. The asphalt concrete had begun to deteriorate prematurely and exhibit pavement surface distresses. The primary surface distresses were an open-texture surface, raveling, and evidence of roots in the asphalt concrete. The Materials Research and Construction Technology Branch of the Geotechnical Laboratory at WES was requested to inspect the airfield pavements and perform laboratory tests on asphalt concrete samples to determine properties of the asphalt cement, aggregates, and asphalt concrete mixture. The purpose of the analysis was to evaluate the in-place materials for compliance with specifications, determine possible causes for these pavement distresses, and recommend options for the repair of the airfield pavements. The laboratory evaluation of the asphalt concrete material indicatedthat pavement raveling was due to an improperly produced and constructed asphalt concrete mixture.
Abstract