Rheological Analysis of Silicone Pavement Joint Sealants.
Abstract
Joint sealant materials began to be widely used in pavement applications in an effort to protect the structural integrity of the pavement during the early 1940's. The protection was derived by minimizing moisture intrusion through the joint and preventing debris retention in the joint. Material specifications were soon developed to provide a means of material quality control. These specifications have evolved slowly over time, but they have not kept pace with the technological advancements made in the joint sealant industry, and, in some instances, the specifications have impeded technological advancements. Additionally, the properties measured in the specifications do not provide a direct correlation to field performance. Therefore, a need existed for a joint sealant characterization methodology that would provide a more direct correlation to field performance. The methodology should include the aging characteristics of the sealant and take into consideration the viscoelastic nature of the materials. A methodology was developed during this research that determines material properties related to field performance. Specifically, dynamic shear rheology was used to determine the viscoelastic response of six silicone pavement joint sealants. The storage and loss moduli versus frequency mastercurves were used to calculate a discrete stress relaxation spectrum which was converted into input for numerical analysis. The force per unit length modeled using this methodology was within 1 percent of the force per unit length measured in laboratory tensile testing at 25 percent elongation. These results indicate that the methodology developed using dynamic shear rheology combined with numerical analysis provides satisfactory characterization of the sealant material properties. (MM)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA305080
Entities
People
- Larry N. Lynch