why is a friction course typically used in almost all pavements in florida

by Judge Bernier 7 min read

What is a friction course asphalt?

In addition, open graded friction courses are generally quieter than typical pavements. There has been a wide range of experience with OGFC’s in different regions. While a large majority of states have experimented with these pavements, there is a …

Why is the FDOT not recommending open-graded friction course (OGFC)?

open-graded friction course (OGFC). OGFC has high voids, requiring excessive amounts of binder to offset draindown. Moisture also tends to get trapped under the HFST, causing stripping and substrate failure. Existing OGFC needs to be milled and …

What is the importance of friction course to expressways and expressways?

Dec 28, 2000 · the material as a thin friction course, such as the modified OGFC used in Georgia. Instead, Oregon places the material much like the Europeans do, in thicker lifts-typically, 2-in.-thick lifts. Air-void percentages are similarly higher than other states', approximating percentages used in Europe. Oregon uses

What are the benefits of open graded friction courses?

Jul 01, 2020 · concrete slabs. In addition, the asphalt layer acts as a wearing course to reduce wearing effect of wheel loads on the concrete surface layer. Asphalt over concrete composite pavements are found most often on older pavements that have had asphalt overlay such as hot mix asphalt, open graded friction course, or

What is the purpose of a friction course in an asphalt pavement design?

Open-graded friction course (OGFC) has been used since 1950 in different parts of the United States to improve the surface frictional resistance of asphalt pavements. OGFC improves wet weather driving conditions by allowing the water to drain through its porous structure away from the roadway.Sep 19, 2013

What is friction course?

INTRODUCTION. An “open-graded friction course” is defined as a thin, permeable layer of asphalt that integrates a skeleton of uniform aggregate size with a minimum of fines. These mixes contain a small percentage of fine aggregate which produces a large number of air voids.

What is a pavement used for?

The primary function of a pavement is to transmit loads to the sub-base and underlying soil. Modern flexible pavements contain sand and gravel or crushed stone compacted with a binder of bituminous material, such as asphalt, tar, or asphaltic oil.

What are the types of asphalt used in pavements?

5 Types of Asphalt PavementPorous Asphalt. Porous asphalt has been around since the mid 1970s. ... Perpetual Pavement. Perpetual pavement is a combination of asphalt and the multi-layer paving design process. ... Quiet Pavement. ... Warm-Mix Asphalt. ... Thin Overlays.

What is open graded pavement?

Open graded friction courses (OGFCs) are a type of pavement that have been built across the United States since the 1950's. These asphalt mixes contain only a small portion of fine aggregate, creating a pavement with a relatively large percentage of air voids.Jun 7, 2011

What is gap graded asphalt?

The gap graded asphalt mixtures are the mixtures in which the aggregate particles of certain sizes are partially missing. The gap graded asphalt mixtures will have higher air-voids when compared to dense graded asphalt mixtures.Jan 8, 2018

What is pavement explain the types of pavements in detail?

A rigid pavement has several layers with the best quality material located nearest the surface. A flexible pavement offers an elastic surface and is made of a thin surface of hot-mix asphalt poured over a base.Apr 14, 2017

What are the advantages of asphalt?

Asphalt pavements are:Safe—Asphalt pavements offer high skid resistance and provide high contrast in color between asphalt pavement and road markers, giving drivers better road visibility in any weather condition. ... Smooth—Asphalt pavements provide a more uniform surface unmatched by other pavements.More items...

What are the functions of pavement components?

(1) To improve the bearing capacity of the sub-grade. (2) To improve the drainage conditions and to check capillary rise of sub-soil water. (3) To eliminate frost heave in frost affected area by preventing capillary rise of water. (4) To act as filler material and increase the thickness of pavement at a low cost.Jun 30, 2021

What is asphalt pavement?

Asphalt pavement is one of the materials commonly used for roads and airports construction.

What is asphalt pavement made of?

Asphalt pavements are made by combining rocks and sand to a particular recipe and then adding asphalt cement as the black sticky glue that holds the pavement together. The combination of rocks and sand is very important to the structure and strength of the pavement.Jan 2, 2018

Is all asphalt the same?

The short answer is no. There are different types of asphalt for different purposes and applications. The “mix designs” of asphalt vary from state to state. Each state department of transportation has a standardized specification for different grades of asphalt material.

What is flexible pavement?

A flexible pavement structure is typically composed of several layers of material. Each layer receives the loads from the above layer, spreads them out, then passes on these loads to the next layer below.

Which layer of pavement is the most stiff?

The surface course (typically an HMA layer) is the stiffest (as measured by resilient modulus) and contributes the most to pavement strength. The underlying layers are less stiff but are still important to pavement strength as well as drainage and frost protection.

What is surface course?

The surface course is the layer in contact with traffic loads and normally contains the highest quality materials. It provides characteristics such as friction, smoothness, noise control, rut and shoving resistance and drainage. In addition, it serves to prevent the entrance of excessive quantities of surface water into the underlying base, subbase and subgrade (NAPA, 2001 [1] ). This top structural layer of material is sometimes subdivided into two layers:

What is the most common type of HMA?

The three most common types of HMA pavement are: Dense-graded HMA. Flexible pavement information in this Guide is generally concerned with dense-graded HMA. Dense-graded HMA is a versatile, all-around mix making it the most common and well-understood mix type in the U.S. Stone matrix asphalt (SMA).

What happens when you apply HFST to a pavement?

Manifest as a cracking distress. When HFST is applied to the surface, the shear transferred into the pavement from breaking and turning vehicles increases. This can accelerate deterioration of weak substrates. (FIGURE 19 and FIGURE 20)

What is HFST pavement?

High friction surface treatment (HFST) is a safety-first pavement treatment intended to restore and maintain pavement friction to reduce crashes. It is a thin layer of high-quality polish-resistant aggregate bonded to the pavement surface with polymer resin binder, specified in FDOT Section 333.

Why is HFST liable to delaminate?

Without adequate surface preparation, the HFST is liable to de-bonded and delaminate, especially on concrete. This issue is often caused by changes in temperature. HFST wants to expand and contract much more than asphalt or concrete and will pop-off under thermal stress if the bond is insufficient.

How long is a resin binder good for?

The proposed aggregate and resin binder materials need to be certified by the producers. The certifications are good for 12 months and whenever a new source or batch is used.

What is the most common aggregate used for HFST?

The most common aggregate used for HFST is calcined bauxite. This aggregate is first in class in terms of skid resistance. Other aggregates like flint, basalt, and granite may only be used for preventative maintenance applications that are not safety-critical.

How long to mix resin binder?

The resin binder must be proportioned correctly and mixed thoroughly. This is a particular problem when applying HFST manually. Spend at least 3 minutes mixing (longer than you may expect), and thoroughly work the sides and bottom of the container. Inadequate mixing can also occur with automated systems if not properly maintained and monitored.

Does HFST crack under traffic?

HFST has some flexibility and should resist brittle cracking under traffic. However, existing cracks will still propagate through the HFST under traffic and thermal cycling. Other than restoring the surface before HFST application, this distress is unavoidable. (FIGURE 22)

What is the minimum thickness of a concrete surface course?

Because of the minimum 0.70 foot thickness requirements for concrete surface course, all pavements with concrete surface course are engineered according to the standards and procedures for rigid pavements in Chapter 620.

What is preventive maintenance?

Preventive Maintenance is used to maintain the asphalt surface course layer or to replace thin asphalt layers (i.e., non-structural wearing courses) placed over concrete surface course layer. If work is needed to repair the underlying concrete layer, it should be developed as a CAPM (Index 644.2) or roadway rehabilitation (Topic 645) project. Additional information on preventive maintenance of the asphalt layer of a composite pavement is the same as for the flexible pavements, which can be found in the “Maintenance Technical Advisory Guide (MTAG)” available on the Department Pavement website.

What is CAPM 624.2?

The CAPM warrants for concrete and asphalt pavements in Index 624.2 and 634.2 apply to composite pavements. The procedures and designs for asphalt over concrete composite pavement CAPM projects are the same as those for flexible pavements (see

Does index 634.2 require concrete slab replacement?

Index 634.2) except digouts may require concrete slab replacement and/or base repair . In the case of previously constructed crack, seat, and asphalt overlay projects, it may be beneficial to mill a portion of the existing asphalt layer prior to overlaying. Milling will reduce the thickness of the existing cracked pavement and therefore provide added life to the overlay.

What is asphalt concrete?

Asphalt Concrete. Asphalt Concrete consists of a mixture of asphalt binder and graded aggregates. The aggregates used can range from coarse to very fine particles. Asphalt concrete is commonly referred to as HMA (Hot Mixed Asphalt) because the aggregate and binder are heated to provide sufficient coating and workability.

What is a gap in asphalt?

Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt-Gap-graded, or RHMA-G, is a mixture with a high coarse aggregate content with a portion of aggregates missing from the middle of the gradation band – hence the “Gap”. This gap is intended to provide sufficient space in the mixture for rubber modified binder while keeping the stone on stone contact for rut resistance. The base asphalt binder is modified using recycled crumb rubber particles. This produces a mixture that is much more durable, crack-resistant, reduces traffic noise, increases skid resistance, and allows the structural designer to reduce the overall lift thickness providing the agency with more lane miles per ton of mixture.

Why use OGFC?

Because of this grading design, OGFC mixtures are typically used to improve wet weather skid resistance, reduced water splash and spray, and as a stormwater treatment. This type of flexible pavement also allows for better visibility of pavement markings/markers during wet weather conditions.

What is hot mixed concrete?

Hot Mixed Asphalt concrete, Type A, is classified as a dense-graded mixture. This mixture includes aggregates that are well distributed throughout the entire range of sieves. This is the most commonly specified mixture, as it can be used in the base, intermediate, and surface layers of the pavement structural section. The phrase “Type A” is legacy language from previous versions of the Standard Specifications that refers to the aggregate quality characteristics required to produce these mixtures.

What is California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery?

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) provides technical resources for education and use of Rubberized Asphalt Concrete.

What is an OGFC?

Open-Graded Friction Course , or OGFC, is a non-structural wearing course. Open-graded mixtures have an aggregate gradation that is uniformly sized, which produces a mixture that should have between 18-22 percent air voids. Because of this grading design, OGFC mixtures are typically used to improve wet weather skid resistance, reduced water splash and spray, and as a stormwater treatment. This type of flexible pavement also allows for better visibility of pavement markings/markers during wet weather conditions.

What is G3 quality?

G3 Quality’s local materials experts are active in California’s evolving specifications. Our team has extensive knowledge of local materials, environmental conditions, and production of materials. With this experience, G3 Quality offers a multitude of specialized materials design and research services.

What is the importance of friction course to expressways and high speed roads?

Friction course, which is known as porous asphalt, is often used as surface material in high speed roads and expressway. It is porous in nature which allows for speedy drainage of surface water. Road safety can be improved because it reduces the chance of hydroplaning/aquaplaning (i.e.

Kanwarjot Singh

Kanwarjot Singh is the founder of Civil Engineering Portal, a leading civil engineering website which has been awarded as the best online publication by CIDC. He did his BE civil from Thapar University, Patiala and has been working on this website with his team of Civil Engineers.