Experimental analysis of innovative joints in rehabilitation of airport pavements

The rehabilitation of airport pavements represents a matter of primary importance so that pavements remain in adequate condition. An experimental analysis aimed at setting up an optimal solution to rehabilitate concrete pavements is described. The rehabilitation technique consists of the partial milling of the existing concrete slabs and the application of a new layer made of both asphalt and cement (a cement mortar is poured inside an open grade asphalt mix). The new layer combines the simple laying operations of a traditional asphalt concrete with the structural and chemical resistance of a concrete slab, obtaining both high performances of the new pavement and short working times. Joints are a critical issue when slabs are covered with an overlay so the analysis focused particularly on the technique to reduce the risk of cracking of the new layer due to the joints beneath. Different solutions for joints were set up and analyzed, considering the use of steel grids, steel plates, geosynthetics and geomembranes. This last solution consists of a self-adhesive bituminous compound, reinforced with an extra strong crossover glass-fibre mesh; the geomembrane performs a waterproofing action as well as to increase resistance to reflective cracking from bottom layers. A full scale test was carried out in an apron area of Malpensa Airport (Italy) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of each solution. For the covering abstract see ITRD E144473.