"This synthesis report will be of special interest to pavement designers, materials engineers, and other seeking information on portland cement concrete overlays placed over both concrete and asphalt pavements. Detailed information is presented on design, construction, and performance of such overlays."--Avant-propos.

This synthesis report will be of special interest to pavement designers, materials engineers, and others seeking information on portland cement concrete resurfacings (overlays) placed over both portland and asphalt cement concrete pavements. Information is presented on the various practices in use for the design, material selection, and construction techniques associated with each pavement type. Additional information is provided on resurfacing experience and performance, including an Appendix cataloging more than 700 existing resurfacing projects in North America. Transportation agencies in the United States are continuing to develop pavement management systems which take an objective and structured approach to life-cycle cost analysis requirements for pavement rehabilitation project analysis. This report of the Transportation Research Board also discusses the considerations involved in the selection of technically feasible resurfacing alternatives. Based on the longitudinal experience of 375 resurfacing projects that were cataloged in 1982 and the more than 700 projects identified in 1993, much useful information on the performance characteristics of portland cement concrete resurfacing is presented.

Introductory technical guidance for civil engineers and construction managers interested in resurfacing continuously reinforced portland cement concrete pavement for streets and highways.

Studies of efforts in Virginia to reduce the incidence of reflection cracking when portland cement concrete pavements or bases are overlayed with asphaltic concrete are reported. The methods of reflection crack reduction discussed are: (1) The use of sand as a bond breaker between portland cement concrete pavements and asphaltic overlays, (2) the use of a high tensile strength fabric as a stress relieving layer between two asphaltic concrete overlays of an old portland cement concrete pavement on a weak subbase, and (3) the use of two types of fabric as stress relieving layers between asphaltic layers and a concrete base on a very strong subbase and subgrade. The following conclusions were drawn. 1. Neither sand as a bond breaker nor high strength fabrics as stress relieving layers are effective in reducing reflection cracking where vertical joint movement (differential deflection) is a significant factor. 2. When differential deflections are greater than about 0.002 in (0.05 mm) reflection cracks form early. Such cracking is delayed for lower differential deflection but may occur as the magnitude and frequency of wheel loadings increase. 3. Both an asphalt impregnated polypropylene fabric and an unwoven, spun-bonded nylon fabric, when placed to span joints in portland cement concrete base and covered with an asphaltic concrete, overlay, are able to sustain the formation of reflection cracking in the overlaying layer without undergoing damage. 4. An asphalt impregnated polypropylene fabric spanning the joints in portland cement concrete pavements, and placed between the pavement and an asphaltic overlay, may be effective in reducing the infiltration of surface water to pavement sub-layers. There is some evidence that pavement pumping may be reduced by this method. 5. Both an asphalt impregnated polypropylene fabric and an unwoven, spun-bonded nylon fabric can delay the formation of reflection cracking. There is strong evidence, however, that such cracking is fatigue in nature and will eventually develop under the application of repetitive wheel loadings.

Experiences of the state of Iowa in developing and refining the process of resurfacing concrete pavements with portland cement concrete.

This manual was prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation of the United States Department of the Interior. It discusses the Bureau of Reclamation's methodology for concrete repair, addresses the more common causes of damage to concrete, and identifies the methods and materials most successful in repairing concrete damage. This guide contains the expertise of numerous individuals who have directly assisted the author on many concrete repair projects or freely shared their concrete repair knowledge whenever requested.