Engineers considering geosynthetic interlayers, as a method of addressing the issue of reflective cracking in asphaltic pavements, possibly one of the most prevalent problems faced by pavement maintenance engineers, are able to draw on, in excess of, 25 years of worldwide experience. Geosynthetic’s ability to perform in a wide variety of climatic conditions makes them ideal in addressing the issue of crack initiation and propagation, and the resulting damage caused by water ingress, and ultimate failure of the pavement structure. Bituminous bound materials are, by their very nature, unable to withstand high tensile forces and therefore benefit greatly from the inclusion of a well installed tensile reinforcement layer, where the geosynthetic and the surrounding bituminous material are able to develop an excellent bond. These forces can result from a variety of mechanisms e.g. reflective, fatigue or thermal cracking. A particular area of success has been the use of these materials to address reflective cracking, prevalent in bituminous overlays of jointed concrete pavements (‘bottom up’ cracking), usually subject to high traffic loading and frequently occurring in conjunction with thermal effects. The increased pavement life achieved by the use of this technology, not only prevents excessive traffic, and business disruption, but it also demonstrates a strong environmental benefit. This paper will demonstrate, by example, the success, and extended pavement life, which can be achieved, both in highway and airfield applications, from correct raw material specification, and careful final product installation of asphaltic reinforcement.
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