If you have low-severity transverse cracks while aggregate interlock is still intact, 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.

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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.

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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.

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If aggregate interlock is lost, refer to the cracked slab section.