EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE USING GEOTEXTILE

REINFORCED SPRAY SEALS

Frank Bullen, B.Sc.(Met.), B.E.(Hons), M.E., Ph.D., MIEAust., C.P.Eng.

Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology

Antonio Nardi, A.D.Civil, B.E.

Engineer, Department of Transport Queensland

SUMMARY

The use of geofabric reinforced spray seal coats for treating distressed pavements has been
accompanied with problems associated with bleeding of bitumen tack coats causing difficul-
ties with construction traffic. Later life surface flushing, or fattiness has occurred due to
excessive total binder from the tack coat plus the seal coat. The results from a geofabric trial
held by Queensland Transport confirmed the necessity to develop a general relationship
between pavement ambient temperature, bitumen tack coat application rate and level of texlile
surface saturation.

A laboratory testing program was devised which utilised a simulated chip seal surface with a
Bidim PF1, polyester goetextile, Class 170 bitumen and a surface contact rolling pressure of
500 kPa. A range of pavement temperatures from 50°C to 70°C were used with tack coat
application rates ranging between approximately 0.9 Llm 2 to 1.9 Llm 2 . Extrapolation of
results indicated that tack coat application rates which could produce adequate bonding
without tack coat bleeding problems would vary from about 0.50 Lmf2 for pavement
temperatures around 70°C to in excess of 1.90 Llm 2 for pavement temperatures below 50°C
for the surface texture studied.

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 81

 Frank Bullen graduated from the University of Newcastle with a
Bachelor of Science (Metallurgy) in 1973 while working in quality
control at BHP, Port Waratah. He then changed professions to civil
engineering, and was awarded a B.E. in 1977, M.E. in 1980 and finally
a doctorate from the Vni versity of Queensland in 1991. After working
I at the University of Newcastle for several years, Frankjoined the PNG
University of Technology in 1981 until 1985 when he took up his
present position at the Queensland University of Technology where he
is presently a Senior Lecturer. Over the last 12 years, his interests have
been involved with pavement design, maintenance, materials and
investigation.

Antonio Nardi graduated from the Queensland Institute of Technology with an Associate
Diploma in Civil Engineering in 1983. While working with the Queensland Main Roads
Department as a road design draftsman, he graduated from the Queensland University of
Technology with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) in 1990. Since then he has worked in the
areas of pavement testing and rehabilitation research with the Pavements Asset Strategy
Branch, Queensland Department of Transport.

82 PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3

INTRODUCTION

1. The role of a road construction authority may be defined as provision of a pavement

which is resistant to the damaging effects of traffic and climate at an economically
acceptable cost (OECD 1988). Once funding is established for a region the final decision
becomes whether to finance new pavements or to maintain or upgrade existing pavements.
The present trend world-wide seems to be a reduction in new works to enable the effective
maintenance of existing road transportation infrastructure. In 1976 the USA was expending
over 30% of its roads funds on maintenance while recognising the fact that pavements were
wearing out faster than they could be maintained (Olgesby and Hicks 1982).

2. A similar trend in Australia saw that the construction of new roads in Australia
reached a peak in the 1960-1970 period with the proportion of road funds committed to
reconstruction and maintenance steadily increasing. The majority of rural arterials will
probably approach the end of their design Iifes in the 1990-1995 period. The conclusion
to be drawn is that practically all road funds will be committed to maintenance unless there
is a large increase in government funding. The paucity of present funding however, does
not indicate much hope for increased funding in the future. It then falls to the road engineer
to develop more effective means of maintaining existing road infrastructure.

3. The use of geotextiles in surface rehabilitation allows the engineer to extend the life
of a pavement at minimal cost especially if the geotextile can be incorporated in routine
spray seal maintenance. The use of geotextiles in various trials at Beerburrum and other
sites throughout Queensland indicated that the process may be cost effective dependent
upon acceptable roughness levels and point of interception on the pavement's degradation
curve. The use of geotextiles should be viewed as another alternative in the engineer's
repertoire for maximising the use of maintenance funds.

4. The testing program described in this report enabled the testing of a geofabric and
binder at variable surface temperatures in the laboratory in simulated field conditions. The
study considered the effects of application rate of tack coat binder and pavement surface
temperature on the degree of surface saturation of a reinforcing fabric. Pavement surface
texture, rolling effort and fabric type were maintained constant during testing and detailed
procedures formulated and followed .

BENEFITS OF GEOTEXTILES

5. Past research has mainly been concerned with the performance of geotextiles in
reflective cracking and waterproofing situations in asphaltic concrete and has indicated
mixed results. Properly installed in either asphalt or spray-seals they may provide protection
from further pavement degradation primarily through waterproofing, with the geofabric
acting as a low strength/high strain, ineffective reinforcement for the overlay treatment.
Rawlings (1990) summarised textile action as delaying/inhibiting reflective cracking by
mobilising textile tensile strength and limiting slippage across existing cracks. In the United
States of America, a Federal Highway Administration Study (FHWA 1982) reviewed the
experience of several states and concluded that because of the variability of performance
of the fabrics studied it was not possible to state unequivocally that fabric treatments had
been a success.

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 83

6. Success depends on proper assessment of the cause of pavement cracking, climatic
considerations, proper selection and design of geotextiles and finally the proper construction
procedures. The limited success enjoyed by geotextiles can usually be traced to lack of
proper investigation procedures.

7. The work of many researchers including Perfetti and Sangster (1989), Vicelja (1989),
Walsh (1986), Sadlier (1987), Van Wijk (1987) and Dickson (1989), on the function and
benefits of incorporating geotextiles in spray reseals may be summarised as follows.

The geofabric acts as a reservoir for binder. Needle punched fabrics generally provide
better service due to the superior retention properties of the fibre matrix.

The saturated fabric provides a layer which assists in the prevention of upward
transmission of cracks. This does not infer that the textile acts in a structural fashion
but that the fabric reduces the capacity of the binder for plastic flow.

The prime purpose of the saturated textile is to act as an impermeable membrane

which eliminates water ingress and associated pavement deterioration. The pavement
may then last until the textile fails. Failure is probably by an inability of the
binder/textile membrane to absorb differential vertical and horizontal movement
across the crack.

Tack coat application rate, pavement surface temperature and surface condition are
very important in the control of bleeding of binder through the textile. Low pavement
temperatures and high application rates of tack coat plus seal coat result in surface
flushing and loss of texture.

Using geotextiles in spray reseals extends the working life of existing pavements. The
benefits obtained from the reduced maintenance costs from use of the textile must be
balanced with its purchase and installation costs.

CONSTRUCTING A TEXTILE REINFORCED SPRAY -SEAL OVERLAY

8. The incorporation of geotextiles in spray reseals appears relatively simple with the
textile initially being rolled into a hot tack coat sprayed onto the existing surface. Once the
textile is bonded to the tack coat, normal spray seal design should then be able to be
carried out. Various State Road Authorities have made attempts to address the
design/construction of reinforced spray seals including Queensland Transport (1991) with
its Technical Note 8 and NSW State Transport Authority which incorporates guidelines in
its new surfacing design guide (1991). It has been recognised in those guidelines and
elsewhere (Nardi 1990), that during placement of the fabric several problems may arise
including the following.

Insufficient tack coat bitumen fails to ensure adequate bonding of the textile to the
old pavement surface.

The tack-coat may be too viscous (cold) during rolling for sufficient penetration of
bitumen into the textile.

84 PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3

 A surplus of tack coat material may cause bleeding of bitumen through the textile.
Excess bleeding then causes roller or truck tyres to lift the geofabric from the
existing surface or to cause damage to the fabric by delamination of fibres from the
geofabric.

The tack coat may be too fluid (hot) during rolling causing bleeding and associated
problems as stated above.

9. The Cunningham Highway trial found that high application rates of tack coat plus
seal coat binder resulted in bleeding during the summer months. It was also noted that
higher pavement temperatures increased the likelihood of bleeding of the tack coat through
the fabric. The impregnated fabric was then prone to pick-up by roller or sprayer traffic.

10. The literature and experience suggests that there is some optimum combination of
pavement temperature and tack coat application rate for any specific geotextile. The
reservoir of bitumen left under, within or on the surface of the geotextile must be
considered in the overall spray seal design. A large reservoir may result in aggregate
flushing and resulting loss of skid resistance. A small reservoir may result in a lack of
aggregate bonding to the textile. The textile may also be unsaturated and thus unable to act
as a waterproofing membrane.

MATERIALS FOR THE LABORATORY STUDY

Fabric and Binder

11. The Class 170 bitumen selected is a commonly used bituminous binder used in
roadworks applications throughout Australia. It is a medium viscosity bitumen and is
applied using a conventional bitumen sprayer at temperatures in the range of 160°C to
190°C. The softening point of the binder used was determined to be 52u e.

12. There are several paving grade Geofabrics available for use in pavement
rehabilitation. The geofabric used in all testing was Bidim PFI which is a non-woven
needle punched polyester geofabric used in a number of trials throughout Queensland. The
specifications of the geofabric used in the testing are readily available from Bidim suppliers
and are not provided in this paper.

Simulated Surface

13. An artificial surface was produced which was easily cleaned, reusable, representative
of an existing chip seal, manageable, temperature resistant and strong. Concrete blocks, 400
x 400 x 50 mm were manufactured and surfaced with a -6.7 mm, +4.75 mm crushed
aggregate set in a high strength, temperature and solvent resistant, two pack epoxy resin
(Superbond HBD4125). The amount of epoxy resin applied allowed embedment of
aggregate particles to two thirds of their average least dimension (ALD). The ALD was
determined using the DoT Method No. Q202-1978 and a value of 3.7 mm obtained. After
the application of the . aggregate the epoxy resin was allowed to set and cure for at least
seven days. Any loose aggregate was brushed from the surface using a stiff bristled plastic
washing brush before any testing was performed.

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 85

 14. Before the artificial surfaces were used for testing their surface textures required
quantification. This aspect is important as it provides some indication of pavement surface
voids which will need to be filled with bitumen before any excess is available to the textile
in the overlaying process. Determination of the surface texture of the blocks was carried
out using the sand patch method and a mean value of 2.2 mm gained with a coefficient of
variation of 9%. Repeated texture depths on the same block resulted in a value of 2.1 mm
with a coefficient of variation of 10% (DoT Method No. Q70S-1978). The uniformity of
the surface texture of the blocks was considered to be satisfactory and eliminated the
effects of variable pavement textural depth in the study.

TESTING PROCEDURE

Sample Preparation

IS . Generally in field situations the bitumen binder is sprayed in a range of 160°C-17SoC.

The tack coat is sprayed onto the existing pavement and then the fabric is applied by
mechanical means by a tractor with a special bucket attachment which also ensures contact
of the fabric and binder by the use of brushes on the application rig. The fabric is then
generally rolled by a pneumatic multi-rubber tyred roller with a minimum of four passes
depending on the stickiness of the tack coat/geofabric layer.

16. The method used in the study was application of the tack coat by special brushes,
placement of the textile by hand followed by rolling with a loaded wheelbarrow in three
different positions. The process simulated field practice and had been successfully used
previously by Baran and Young (1981).

17. The surface texture block was pre-heated to the desired pavement temperature in a
laboratory oven to ensure constant temperature throughout the block. It was then removed
from the oven and placed on a rubber mat for insulation from the laboratory concrete floor.
The surface temperatures investigated were SO°C, 60°C, 6SoC and 70°C, which were
considered representative of temperatures in the field where problems with bleeding had
occurred.

18. The bitumen binder was heated over a hotplate to 17SoC and then poured over the
textured concrete block and spread using a stiffened 100 mm paint brush. The range of
application rates studied were from 0.9 L/m2 to 1.9 L/m2 and are reported in more detail
later. The fabric was placed over the binder and brushed to ensure that no folds or wrinkles
remained.

19. A rolling effort of four passes of the rig, at three locations, was then applied to the
surface of the geofabric. Field rolling conditions were simulated by using a surface contact
pressure of about SOO kPa. The pneumatic tyre of the rolling rig was inflated to SOO kPa
and surcharged to 120 kg to produce a 45 mm wide footprint. The 4S mm footprint was
considered to be the smallest width which would allow easy calculation of the degree of
, surface saturation of the fabric. The above processes were precisely timed to ensure
repeatability and are described in detail elsewhere (Nardi 1990).

86 PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3

Measurement of Surface saturation

20. The test method was required to enable the determination of surface saturation (the
amount of binder present) in the fabric. The binder may be forced into the fabric by the
rolling effort or may have been absorbed by the geofabric by simple capillary action.
Methods involving the weighing of the geofabric before and after application of the binder
to determine the degree of surface saturation were thought unsatisfactory.

21. An empirical type oftest after Yamaoka et al (1989), was used which involved a grid
overlay approach. The degree of surface saturation was determined by evaluating the level
of saturation within each element in a set test area. This approach allowed three sets of data
to be obtained for each specimen. The grid used was 47 by 6 elements each 5 mm x 5 mm
in size. A rating system from 0 to 10, where 10 represented complete saturation, was used
to indicate the degree of saturation of each element. The use of the overlay grid system
proved to be simple and repeatable.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

22. The results from the study are summarised in Table I and Figure 1. The information
in Table I includes application rates, simulated pavement temperatures and the mean level
of surface saturation for each block tested. Surface saturation level refers to amount of
bitumen absorbed by the geotextile.

TABLE I

EFFECTS OF APPLICATION RATES AND TEMPERATURE ON ABSORPTION

Block Applic. Sat. Blul:k Appli(;. Sal.

Temp. Rate Level Temp. Rate Level
(0C) (Llm 3) (%) (0C) (L/m3) (%)

50 1.30 6.1 65 1.04 31.7

50 1.52 7.8 65 1.25 37.8
50 1.61 8.0 65 1.44 43.7
50 1.75 8.6 65 1.62 56.9
50 1.93 12.2 65 1.80 59.2
60 1.29 12.4 70 0.93 31.1
60 1.47 13.5 70 1.04 43.7
60 1.64 23.4 70 1.21 56.0
60 1.71 22.8 70 1.53 76.3
60 1.93 25.0 70 1.70 91.4

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 87

 100

90 [!) 50oC, r2-0.88

-
#. 80
D
181
60oC,
650C,
r2-0.84
r2-0.96
c 70 • 70oC, r2-0.99

-0

as 60

-
~

::J
50
as
CI)
40
CD
(,)

-as 30
~

::J
CI)
20

10

0
0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0
Application Rate (L/m2)

Figure 1. Effects of temperature and application rate on textile surface saturation

23. A qualitative estimate was also made of the level of textile sticking to the rolling rig.
This allowed some correlation between application rates, pavement temperature and
maximum allowable surface saturation to be made. It appeared that fabric surface saturation
between 10% and 20% provided good fabric adhesion with minimal uplift during rolling.
Fabric sticking, delamination and uplift became more pronounced as surface saturation
exceeded 20%.

DISCUSSION OF TEST DATA

Surface saturation Versus Temperature

24. A study of surface saturation of the geofabric versus the pavement surface
temperature shows that for any set tack coat application rate, the degree of saturation
increases with surface temperature. This confirms the expected with the bitumen binder
remaining fluid for longer periods as surface temperature increases. As pavement
temperatures became greater than 60°C the amount of saturation increased rapidly . This
change in the rate of saturation of the fabric appears to coincide with the softening point
of Class 170 bitumen used in the project which was determined to be about 52°e.

Surface saturation Versus Application Rate

25. The plot of saturation of the fabric versus the application rate of the bitumen tack
coat is shown in Figure 1. The regression analysis performed for each pavement
temperature has limited application due to the small amount of data however, the trends
observed are considered significant. The pavement temperature appears to have a greater

88 PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3

 influence on the degree of saturation of the fabric than does tack coat application rate. The
appli cation rates at the lower pavement temperature of 50°C to obtain 10% surface
saturation was around 1.9 Llm 2 which greatly exceeded the 0.5 Llm 2 (extrapolated)
required to provide about 10% fabric saturation at 70°C. This meant that at the lower
pavement temperature there was a large reservoir of binder available to cause bleeding if
temperature later increased. The surface saturation at 1.9 Llm 2 and 60°C was about 25%
while the degree of saturation of the fabric at 1.0 L/m2 and 65°C was about 30%. This
small increase of 5°C in pavement temperature from 60°C to 65°C, accompanied by a
substantial 50% reduction in binder application resulted in increased fabric saturation.

26. The results suggest that little binder saturation would occur for application rates
below 0.9 Lim 2, for pavement temperatures below 60°C, dependent on pavement surface
texture depth. This observation agrees with application rates which are recommended by
Bidim for the application of the geofabric. In the Department of Transport Installation
Trial on the Cunningham Highway, an application rate of 1.1 L/m2 was initially used for
a pavement temperature in the range of 45°C - 50°C. After discussion between Bidim
representatives and Department of Transport staff, the tack coat was lowered to 0.8 L/m2
to reduce the stickiness of the fabric. The data suggests that little surface saturation of the
fabric should be apparent at this application rate.

Application Ralt! Velosus Temperature

27. It is apparent that the influence of pavement temperature effects tends to have the
greatest bearing on whether bleeding is going to be a problem with geofabric reseals. This
is evident in Figure 1 which shows that the degree of surface saturation becomes much
greater as the temperature increases from 60°C to 70°C. For lower pavement temperatures,
such as 50°C, high degrees of saturation are difficult to achieve even with very high
application rates. At pavement temperature greater than 60°C, a change in pavement
temperature of only a couple of degrees Celsius could cause major bleeding problems.

1.9

,-E 1.7
90

C'.I

-l
'--"
1.5 20 JO
.....t)
0
a::
>- 1.3
....0
a.
Ul
1.1
7. Saturation Contours
0.9
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70
Temperature (oC)

Figure 2. Fabric saturation contours for pavement temperature and spray rates

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 89

- - -- - -
28. The information presented in Figure 2 is a representation of how data could be
presented to engineers designing reinforced spray seals. Figure 2 is a contour plot of
surface saturation using the data provided in Table 1. Due to amount of data available the
contours in Figure 2 are only approximate but serve to illustrate how pavement temperature
and tack coat application rate may influence fabric surface saturation.

CONCLUSIONS

29. Both ambient pavement temperature and binder application temperature greatly
influence the bleeding potential of a geofabric. A small change in temperature between
early morning and midday can cause major bleeding problems through the fabric for the
same application rate. It is advisable to adjust the tack coat application rate to suit the time
of day and pavement temperature conditions.

30 Geofabric reseals should perhaps be scheduled for construction in Spring and early
summer. Conversely, it is not advisable for geofabric reseals to be undertaken in winter
when lower temperatures may cause low surface saturation levels where the fabric may
actually "float" on the tack coat. Care must also be taken at lower temperatures to ensure
that excessive amounts of binder are not used especially in the tack coat. Even though the
degree of surface saturation may appear to be low at the construction stage, higher
pavement surface temperatures may cause bleeding problems and the pavement surface may
become fatty after construction.

31. Although the surface texture used in the testing was described as coarse by
Department of Transport standards, tack coat applications as low as 0.9 Llm 2 gave adequate
surface saturation of the geofabric to ensure good adhesion without causing bleeding
problems, especially at lower surface temperatures. An increase in tack coat application rate
gave approximately a linear increase in degree of surface saturation for each pavement
surface temperature studied.

32. Once the total amount of binder required for a thin seal rehabilitation is calculated,
the tack coat should be restricted to the bare minimum required to ensure adequate
bonding. The remainder of the binder can then be applied in the seal coat application and
hopefully not cause bleeding problems. The tack coat application rate should be kept in
the range of 0.8 Llm 2 to 1.0 Llm 2 for coarse surface texture and about 0.8 Llm 2 for less
coarse surface texture in pavement rehabilitation.

33. The degree of surface saturation of the fabric considered acceptable during the laying
process would be in the range of 10% to 20%. Even at lower saturation there appeared to
be good adhesion between the chip seal surface and the geofabric inter-layer. For degrees
of surface saturation greater than 20%, there was evidence of lifting of the geofabric by the
roller wheel. Surface saturation of the fabric to ensure a waterproof membrane would be
best achieved by increasing the seal coat application and restricting the tack coat
application rate to a minimum.

90 PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3

REFERENCES

Baran, E., and Young, H.1. (1981). Tack coat application rates for proposed engineering
fabrics Test sites on Samford Sub-arterial Road Job No. 140/U95/19. Main Roads
Department - Materials Branch, June, RP667.

Dickson, M.G. (1989). The use of geosynthetics in the prevention of reflective cracking
in premix overlays, concrete pavements and spray and chip road surfaces. Reflective
Cracking in Pavements - Assessment and Control, CEP-LMC, University of Leige. pp.
257-264.

Federal Highway Administration U.S.A. (1989). Geotextile specifications for highway

applications FHWA Publication No. FHWA-TS-89-026 July.

Nardi, T. (1990). The effective use of geofabric in thin chip seal pavement rehabilitation.
B.Eng., Project Thesis, School of Civil Engineering, Queensland University of Technology.

NSW State Traffic Authority. (1991). Design of surface seals.

Perfetti, J. and S~ngster, T. (1989). The function of geotextiles in pavement structures.

Geosynthetics 1989 Conference, San Diego, USA, Vol. i pp 334 - 344.

Queensland Transport. (1991). Paving fabrics in asphalt and sprayed seal surfacing.
Technical Note 8, September, pp.7.

Rawlings, R.E. (1991). Comparison of treatments to control reflective cracking. Proc. road
networks seminar, ARRB Res. Rpt. ARR.211, pp.103-114.

Sadlier, M ., Fock, G. and Webb, T. (1989). The use of paving grade fabric as a
waterproofing and crack retarding inter-layer in road surfacing. Polyfelt Australia Report.

Van Wijk, W. (1987). Extending the life of overlays geotextiles and geomembranes - A
supplement to Civil Engineering (1987)

Vicelja, J.L. (1989). Pavement fabric interlayers benefits - construction - experiences.

University of Leige Conference - Reflective Cracking in Pavements March 1989.

Walsh, J.D. (1986). Geotextiles in highway surface dressings . Third International

Conference of Geotextiles, Vienna, Austria.

Yamaoka, I., Yamamoto, D. and Hara, T. (1989). Laboratory fatigue testing of asphalt
concrete Pavements Containing Fabric Interlayers and Field Correlations. Reflective
Cracking in Pavements - Assessment and Control, CEP - LMC, University of Leige,
pp.49-56.

PROCEEDINGS 16th ARRB CONFERENCE, PART 3 91