



If you have faulted joints, you need to perform:
Dowel Bar Retrofit
Dowel bar retrofit (DBR) is a concrete pavement preservation (CPP) tool that restores load transfer across transverse joints and cracks by installing dowel bars to link adjoining slabs. Mechanical load transfer devices such as round steel dowel bars prevent differential vertical movement of the slabs at the joints and cracks, thereby eliminating the formation of faults or stepoffs. Used in conjunction with other CPP practices, such as diamond grinding, DBR can return a concrete roadway to a structurally sound, smooth condition that can exceed the smoothness and noise values attained at the time of construction.
​
To perform DBR, slots are cut using diamond saw blades. The slots are placed on 1-foot centers, centered over the transverse joint or crack and parallel to the centerline with three or four slots per wheel path. Dowel bar assemblies are placed into cleaned slots then backfilled, patched and diamond ground to provide a safe, smooth and quiet surface.
​
Where to consider DBR:
-
Pavements that exhibit a reduction in load transfer.
-
Joint and crack faulting between 1/8 to 3/4 inch.
-
Transverse cracks that are reasonably tight with minimal spalling.
-
Pavements that were constructed as non-doweled jointed pavements, which can have DBR applied to prevent future faulting.
Resources
Dowel Bar Retrofit (DBR) Specification (2013)
This standard developed by the International Grooving and Grinding Association (IGGA) specifies the procedures for construction of dowel bar retrofit on existing Portland Cement Concrete roadways.
Resource Type:
Resource Sections:
Resource Techniques:
Resource Issues:
Specification
Airport/Airfield, Bridge, City/Municipal, Highway, Industrial
Dowel Bar Retrofit
Dowel Bar Retrofit for Concrete Pavement
Standard Plan A-60.20-01, ["Dowel Bar Retrofit"] for Cement Concrete Pavement
Resource Type:
Resource Sections:
Resource Techniques:
Resource Issues:
Specification
Airport/Airfield, Bridge, City/Municipal, Highway, Industrial
Dowel Bar Retrofit, Concrete Pavement Preservation and Restoration
Concrete Repair Best Practices
MoDOT Report: A Series of Case Studies
Resource Type:
Resource Sections:
Resource Techniques:
Resource Issues:
Technical Info
City/Municipal, Highway
Concrete Pavement Preservation and Restoration, Diamond Grinding, Dowel Bar Retrofit, Full & Partial Depth Repair, Joint and Crack Resealing
Structural/Material Issues