Sealing system selection for jointed concrete pavements – A review

Concrete pavement joints are cracks intentionally formed in the pavement to accommodate expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. Today, 98% of the agencies building and maintaining concrete roadways, and 100% of the agencies building and maintaining concrete airport pavements in the United States require the sealing of these joints for new pavements. There are two major reasons for sealing rigid pavement joints. The first is to reduce the amount of water infiltrating the pavement structure, which results in slab erosion and loss of support. The second reason is to minimize the entry of incompressible materials into the joint reservoir, resulting in point loading when slabs expand under hot temperatures and subsequent joint spalling damage. Another reason for sealing rigid pavement joints is to reduce the potential for dowel bar corrosion by reducing entrance of de-icing chemicals. The proper sealing and maintenance of concrete pavement joints thus seems to be essential for the overall performance of the rigid concrete pavement. This paper seeks to find out the factors that affect sealant life and performance and how to mitigate these to improve performance and reasonably extend sealant and thereby pavement life.