Joint Sealant Failure
If you have joint sealant failure, you need to perform:
Joint/Crack Resealing
Uncontrolled water ingress, especially water from a pavement’s surface, contributes to multiple types of pavement distress. It can lead to spalling, base or subgrade softening, dowel bar corrosion, pavement joint blow-ups and/or materials-related distress.
For many concrete pavements, proactively sealing or filling transverse and longitudinal joints and cracks to reduce water penetration improves long-term pavement performance. In addition to limiting the entry of water, joint sealing can reduce the entry of incompressibles into the joint reservoir that exert pressure on the pavement. Performed alone, joint resealing
is a maintenance activity. However, it is also an important part of the concrete pavement preservation (CPP) toolbox.
There are two basic approaches to joint treatment (other than leaving the joint open): joint filling and joint sealing. Joint sealing involves a foam backer rod and more rigorous preparation of a sealant reservoir than filling, which often involves simply filling up a diamond saw cut joint with sealant material after minimal preparation. Joint filling may be appropriate when the reservoir is narrow and difficult to prepare, but full adhesion of the filler may be difficult to achieve, resulting in less protection from moisture penetration. In CPP projects where joints have previously been sealed, resealing them is important.
See also our industry partner website Seal/No Seal to learn more about the benefits of sealing joints.
Resources
Construction of Long Life Sealant Performance
The longevity of any sealant installation is a function of the joint sealing design, the materials used, the workmanship of the installation, and the prevailing environmental and traffic conditions. One experiment included joint resealing. Sealant performance can be significantly improved through proper joint preparation for very little cost.
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Technical Info
Airport/Airfield, City/Municipal, Highway, Industrial
Joint and Crack Resealing
Structural/Material Issues