PURPOSES : The exposed aggregate concrete pavement (EACP) is adopted to achieve low traffic noise and long-term skid resistance in European countries such as Belgium and Germany. In Korea, it is first introduced at the Myeon Cheon field site in 2010. It reduces 3 dB(A) from tire–pavement noise compared with transverse tining. Recent investigations show that EACP can reduce tire–pavement noise by an additional 5 dB(A) compared with transverse tining. In this study, the tire–pavement interaction noise of EACP is compared with that of conventional pavements such as asphalt pavement, next-generation concrete surfaces (NGCS), and transverse tining. METHODS : EACP is constructed at two field sites on the SOC research center and Yeo-Ju test road to compare the noise level via close proximity noise measurement. In addition, the noise is measured using two vehicle type based on vehicle speeds of 60, 80, and 100 km/h. RESULTS : The results of noise measurement obtained from the SOC research center are as follows: Porous asphalt pavement 92.8 dB(A), HMA 96. dB(A), transverse tining 100.1 dB(A), and 8 mm EACP 97 dB(A) at a driving speed of 80 km/h. For the case of the Yeo-Ju test road. The noise levels at a driving speed of 80 km/h are as follows: 6 mm EACP, 93.6 dB(A); asphalt grooving pavement, 94.72 dB(A); 8 mm EACP, 95.2 dB(A); NGCS, 95.2 dB(A); transverse tining, 104.1 dB(A). CONCLUSIONS : The result of noise measurement of two sites in the SOC research center and test road shows that the noise level of the 6 mm EAC is lower than that of concrete pavement, such as tining and NGCS, and similar to that of asphalt pavement. In addition, the noise level of the 8 mm EAC is similar to that of the NGCS pavement. The noise reduction effect of the EAC is greater when small-sized coarse aggregates with lower flat and elongation ratios are used.

PURPOSES : The actual service life of repair methods applied to cement concrete pavement is analyzed based on de-icing agent usage. METHODS : Highway PMS data pertaining to de-icing agent usage are classified into three grades: low (1~5 ton/lane/year), medium (5~8 ton/lane/year), and high (greater than 8 ton/lane/year). The repair methods considered include diamond grinding, patching, joint repair, partial depth repair, and asphalt overlay on five major highways. The service life of each repair method is analyzed based on the usage level of the de-icing agent. RESULTS : The service lives of the applied repair methods are much shorter than expected. It is confirmed that the service life afforded by diamond grinding, patching, and joint repair methods are not significantly affected by the use of de-icing agents, whereas that afforded by asphalt overlay and partial depth repair methods is affected significantly. The service life afforded by the asphalt overlay and partial depth repair methods decreases at high usage levels of the de-icing agent (greater than 8 ton/lane/year). CONCLUSIONS : Among the repair methods considered, the service life afforded by partial depth repair and asphalt overlay is affected significantly by the amount of de-icing agent used. Additionally, the differences between the expected and actual analyzed service lives should be considered in the next-generation maintenance strategy for cement concrete pavements.

PURPOSES : In this study, experimental findings regarding the frost resistance of concrete incorporated with mineral admixtures such as fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (SG) are presented. METHODS : To evaluate the performance of the abovementioned concretes under repeated freezing and thawing environments, based on the ASTM C 666 standard, the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity and mass ratio measurements are performed regularly. Furthermore, based on the ASTM C 672 standard, the concretes are exposed to 4% CaCl2 and NaCl salt solutions along with repeated 50 cycles of freezing and thawing. Subsequently, the scaling resistance is evaluated based on the scaled-off mass content and visual examination. RESULTS : SG is less effective in enhancing the scaling resistance of concrete compared with FA. However, the concrete incorporated with SG is more resistant to repeated freeze-thaw actions compared with OPC concrete. Meanwhile, compared with OPC concrete, the concrete incorporated with FA indicates a similar performance in terms of scaling resistance and better resistance against repeated freeze-thaw actions. CONCLUSIONS : The frost resistance of concrete depends significantly on the types of mineral admixtures used in concrete. This emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate binder to achieve durable concrete pavements in cold climate regions.

PURPOSES : Recently, interest in maintaining aged concrete pavements has been increasing. An asphalt overlay is generally used for pavement maintenance, and a tack coat is used to secure interlayer adhesion. Particularly, aged concrete pavements are required for higher adhesion performance of tack coats for attaching interlayers to materials with different properties. Insufficient interlayer adhesion could cause pavement damage, such as slippage, rutting, shoving, corrugation, and pothole. In this study, we examined the performance of interface adhesion by applying a tack coat material developed for maintaining aged concrete pavement. METHODS : In this study, we examined the effect of adhesion performance at the pavement interface, using a tack coat material developed for the maintenance of aged concrete pavement. RESULTS : The developed tack coat not only accomplished the performance objectives but also improved the results by more than 12 to 43%, compared to commonly used materials. CONCLUSIONS : The use of developed tack coat is expected to improve the interlayer adhesion and reduce the delay of the maintenance process in aged concrete pavement.

PURPOSES : This study aims at evaluating the use of an electromagnetic density gauge (EDG) to measure the in situ density and air-void content of asphalt concrete (AC) pavement. METHODS : In situ AC pavement density and air-void readings were obtained from two sites (Daegu and Ulsan) using an EDG. Calibration of the EDG was conducted by first obtaining density values at three different positions, on each pavement where core samples were extracted afterward. The core samples were then tested to obtain laboratory density and air-void values. The density measured using the EDG was then subtracted from the laboratory values to obtain the offset calibration values, which were then adopted to calibrate the in situ measurements using the EDG. Moreover, to analyze the effect of moisture on the pavement surface, EDG measurements were conducted under dry and wet conditions to compare the in-situ readings. RESULTS : The in-situ density readings of AC tend to be higher in moist/wet conditions. By applying the calibration value to the EDG readings, the density error percentage was reduced from 0.61% to 0.096%, and 0.64% to 0.16% for Daegu and Ulsan sites, respectively. Consequently, the air-void content error percentage was reduced from 12.8% to 1.04%, and from 10.07% to 1.78% for Daegu and Ulsan sites, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : The electromagnetic density gauge (EDG) is an effective tool for the non-destructive measurement of in situ pavement density. By applying offset calibration values, the error in the field readings was reduced, and the accuracy of the EDG measurements was improved.