Joint sealant materials for use in concrete pavements have been developed over the last 30 years from bitumen and coal products to corks and, more recently, high performance polymeric materials. There are many products available with a vast price range, and many foreign specifications and standards exist for their assessment. The lack of an Australian specific standard, or the endorsement of a single foreign standard, makes the selection of these materials very difficult, as the common products have not been assessed using a uniform or comparable testing regime. The result is an approach to material selection that is based on personal preference and past experience. In an attempt to overcome this predicament, the authors critically examined and compared the various Australian, British and US standards for joint sealant materials and determined that none was satisfactory for aircraft pavement joint sealants in the Australian environment. A specification for the assessment for these materials, which is based on existing specifications and previous research, has therefore been drafted. It is hoped that this draft specification can be utilised to improve the selection of joint sealant materials on a value for money basis. (a).
Abstract