ACPA has released a comprehensive 24-page new technical bulletin titled “Concrete Pavement Joint Sealing/Filling”, that provides practical information on the range of options available to seal and fill joints, including considerations of leaving joints open. Developed by the ACPA Jointing Task Force, the bulletin provides industry standards, practical recommendations, tables, and color illustrations, all of which reflect up-to-date, useful information for engineers and contractors. Joint sealant use dates back to the early 1900’s. Through years of technical development and field application two basic approaches emerged—joint filling and joint sealing. An additional approach of leaving pavement joints open (unsealed) has also been applied. This bulletin discusses the proper consideration of joint sealants and fillers, and provides details on proper installation.
“Anyone who specifies and works with concrete pavements is encouraged to review the recommendations in this bulletin as a starting point to reassess their joint sealing/filling practices,” said Jerry Voigt, CEO-ACPA. “Unless local experiences indicate that sealing or filling provides limited performance protection value, the recommended practice is to seal and maintain joints paying careful attention to reservoir design, sealant installation and maintenance requirements.”
New details for reservoir dimensioning for effective cleaning and installation of both formed-in-place and compression seals are included in the document, as well as step-by-step recommendations for sealant installation, including reservoir cutting and preparation, sealant installation, and quality control (QC) checks.
A second 3-page companion document was released by ACPA titled “Joint Reservoir Quality Control Wipe Test.” The concrete pavement industry has developed the Wipe Test to provide contractors and inspectors with a new tool for ensuring consistent, high-quality levels of joint preparation and cleaning prior to the installation of sealant materials. The Wipe Test is intended as a quality control sampling test. It is a quick, simple way to check the effectiveness of cleaning methods and techniques during field installation work—a means of capturing the relative amount of concrete dust, dried saw slurry, and other contaminants found on the joint reservoir walls and bottom. The document includes required equipment, materials, procedures and suggested documentation to perform the QC test. This document describes the Wipe Test, including required equipment, materials, procedures and suggested documentation.
To download a copy of “Concrete Pavement Joint Sealing/Filling” (TB010-2018), please click on image top left, or go to: http://www.acpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/JointingSealing-TB010-18.pdf
To download a copy of the companion document, “Joint Reservoir Quality Control Wipe Test” (RTU 17.01-2017), please click on image bottom left, or go to: http://www.acpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/WipeTestRT-17-01-17.pdf
Referenced in the documents are: Peter Taylor, ISCP Board of Directors; Tom Burnam, ISCP Board of Directors; Mark Snyder, Past ISCP President and ISCP Honorary Member; Mike Darter, Past ISCP Board of Directors and ISCP Honorary Member; John M. Becker, ISCP Corporate Member; Larry Scofield, ISCP Corporate Member; and Dale Harrington, CPTech Center