Texturing of Concrete Pavements





SUMMARY

The objective of the research performed under NCHRP Project 10-67 was to recommend

appropriate methods for texturing concrete pavements for specific applications and ranges

of climatic, site, and traffic conditions. To accomplish this objective, several sequential tasks

were performed.

First, information was collected, reviewed, and analyzed to establish the state of the practice

in concrete pavement texturing and to identify innovative technologies. Next, a field investigation

of pavement surfaces was conducted to identify concrete surface textures appropriate

for

construction and evaluation in a test site. The test site featured nine sections with “formed”

textures

(i.e., drag or tine finishes created in fresh concrete) and three sections with “cut” textures

(i.e., ground or grooved finishes created in hardened concrete) that were tested

for texture, friction, and noise shortly after construction.

Analysis of data obtained from both the in-place and newly constructed texture test sections

was combined with information on the state of the practice to develop a process and guidelines

for selecting textures for a range of applications and to prepare sample specifications for

texturing

concrete pavements.

Background

It has long been recognized that the texture of portland

cement concrete (PCC) pavement surfaces directly influences

friction and safety characteristics (American Concrete Institute

[ACI], 1988). Prior to 1967, most PCC surface textures

were constructed using a burlap drag process. However, at

that time, this texturing method did not provide a minimum

frictional coefficient of 0.30, as was required by at least one

state—California (Neal, 1985). Consequently, other texturing

methods were developed to improve frictional/safety characteristics,

the most common of which is transverse tining (grooving

the PCC surface perpendicular to the traffic direction prior

to curing). The uniform narrow grooves provide water drainage

and increase the macro-texture of the surface, resulting

in good wet-weather pavement–tire friction and reportedly

a good safety record.


Download
*