Joints in concrete pavements are commonly sealed to protect the pavement from the actions of moisture ingress, and foreign incompressible materials. Prevention of weed growth, fuel contamination of the underlying soil and aesthetics also support the need to seal joints. The materials utilised for sealing concrete pavement joints are usually high performance, cold applied elastomeric polymers. The three most common groups are polysulphides, polyurethanes and silicones. The selection of a sealant for a particular application is made difficult by the lack of a rigorous performance specification for these materials. The authors have developed a draft specification and applied it to a range of materials to assess which products are most suitable to particular applications. Particular emphasis was placed on the selection of sealants for aircraft pavements at large airports such as RAAF Base Williamtown. The results of the research show that of the products assessed, silicone based products (specifically silicone B) provide the best value for money for taxiway/runway pavements where aircraft are passing quickly, jet blast is regular and fuel contamination is unlikely. In apron, refuelling and maintenance areas where aircraft are generally moving slowly, jet blast is less severe and fuel contamination is common, non-silicone polymers (specifically polysulphide A) provided the best value for money performance of the materials assessed. (a)
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