This document summarizes a presentation on highway failure and maintenance. It begins with an introduction to highways and highway pavements. It then discusses the main types of highway failures including cracking, surface deformation, disintegration, and surface defects. The document outlines the various maintenance activities needed to preserve highways, such as surface maintenance, drainage system upkeep, and rehabilitation. It emphasizes that regular maintenance is important to prevent pavement deterioration and ensure safe transportation.

1. NETAJI SUBHASH ENGINEERING
COLLEGE
A Seminar Presentation On
Highway Failure & their Maintenance
Submitted to Submitted by
Mr. Angshuman Sahu Mantosh Kumar
Faculty, Civil Engg Department Roll no- 10901316088

2. Content
 Introduction
 Highway Pavements
 Highway Failures
 Highway Maintenance
 Surface maintenance of Highway
 Drainage System
 Conclusion

3. Introduction
• A highway is any public road or other public way on land.
• The first highway was constructed on long island New York in
the United States in 1911.
• It helps in agricultural development.
• A main road, especially one connecting major town and cities.
• A highway pavement is a structure consisting of superimposed
layers of processed materials above the natural soil sub-grade,
whose primary function is to distribute the applied vehicle loads
to the sub-grade.
• The pavement structure should be able to provide a surface of
acceptable riding quality, adequate skid resistance, favourable
light reacting characteristics, and low noise pollution

4. Highway Pavements
• Flexible Pavements:- Bituminous Pavement.
• Rigid Pavements:- Cement Concrete roads.

5. Highway Failure
• The primary function of Highway is to distribute the applied vehicle
loads to the sub-grade.
• The major Flexible pavement failures are fatigue cracking, rutting,
and thermal cracking.
Main cause of pavement failures are-
• Rutting due to high variation in ambient temperature.
• Uncontrolled heavy axle loads.
• Inadequate stability.
• Loss of binding action.
• Poor Design and Fabrication.

6. Highway Failure Types
The four major types of pavement failure are-
1. Cracking (longitudinal cracks, etc.)
2. Surface deformation (Rutting, etc.)
3. Disintegration (potholes, etc.)
4. Surface defects (bleeding, etc.)

7. Cracking
The most common types of cracking are-
1. Fatigue cracking
2. Longitudinal cracking
3. Transverse cracking
4. Block cracking
5. Reflective cracking
6. Edge cracking

8. Fatigue Cracking
• Cracks in asphalt layers that are caused by repeated
traffic loadings.
• Fatigue cracking is characterized by interconnected
cracks, the cracking pattern resembles that of an
alligator’s skin or chicken wire.

9. Longitudinal Cracking
• Cracks that are approximately parallel to pavement
centre line and are not in the wheel path.
• Longitudinal cracks are non-load associated cracks.

10. Transverse Cracking
• Cracks that are predominately perpendicular to
pavement centerline and are not located over Portland
cement concrete joints.
• Thermal cracking is typically in this category.

11. Block cracking
• Pattern of cracks that divides the pavement into
approximately rectangular pieces.
• Rectangular blocks range in size from approximately
0.1 square yard to 12 square yards.

12. Reflective Cracking
• Cracks in HMA overlay surfaces that occur over
joints in concrete or over cracks in HMA pavements.

13. Edge Cracking
• Crescent-shaped cracks or fairly continuous cracks
that intersect the pavement edge, adjacent to the
unpaved shoulder.

14. Surface Deformation
Pavement deformation is the result of weakness in
one or more layers of the pavement.
The basic types of surface deformation are-
1. Rutting
2. Corrugations
3. Shoving
4. Depressions
5. Swell

15. Rutting
• Longitudinal surface depression that develops in the
wheel paths of flexible pavement under traffic.
• It may have associated transverse displacement.

16. Corrugations
• Transverse undulations appear at regular intervals due
to the unstable surface course caused by stop-and-go
traffic.

17. Shoving
• A longitudinal displacement of a localized area of the
pavement surface.
• It is generally caused by braking or accelerating
vehicles, and is usually located on hills or curves, or
at intersections.

18. Depressions
• Problem Roughness, depressions filled with
substantial water can cause vehicle hydroplaning
Possible CausesFrost heave or subgrade settlement
resulting from inadequate compaction during
construction.
• Small, localized surface settlement that can cause a
rough, even hazardous ride to motorists.

19. Swell
• This could be explained by the increase in the soil
particle per unit volume, which results in
increasing swelling deformation under the same
initial water content

20. Disintrigation
The progressive breaking up of the pavement into
small, loose pieces is called disintegration.
If the disintegration is not repaired in its early stages,
complete reconstruction of the pavement may be
needed.
The two most common types of disintrigration are-
1. Pot holes
2. Patches

21. Pot Holes
• Bowl-shaped holes of various sizes in the pavement
surface. Minimum plan dimension is 150 mm.

22. Patches
• Portion of pavement surface, greater than 0.1 sq.
meter, that has been removed and replaced or
additional material applied to the pavement after
original construction.

23. Surface Deffect
Surface defects are related to the problems in the
surface layer.
The most common type of surface distress are-
1. Ravelling
2. Bleeding
3. Delamination

24. Ravelling
Wearing away of the pavement surface in high-
quality hot mix asphalt concrete that may be caused
by the dislodging of aggregate particles and loss of
asphalt binder.

25. Bleeding
• Excess bituminous binder occurring on the pavement
surface.
• May create a shiny, glass-like, reflective surface that
may be tacky to the touch. Usually found in the wheel
paths.

26. Delamination
Loss of a large area of pavement surface. Usually
there is a clear separation of the pavement surface
from the layer below. Slippage cracking may often
occur as a result of poor bonding or adhesion between
layers.

27. Highway Maintenance
Preserving and keeping each type of roadway,
roadside, structures as nearly as possible in its
original condition as constructed or as subsequently
improved and the operation of highway facilities and
services to provide satisfactory and safe
transportation, is called maintenance of Highways.
It is essential :-
• To preserve the road in its originally constructed
condition.
• To provide efficient ,convenient and safely travel
along the route,

28. Material Used
• Concrete
• Bitumen
• Asphalt
• Gravel
• Mineral filler
• Tar

29. Types Of Highway Maintenance
The various maintenance functions includes:-
1. Surface maintenance
2. Roadside and drainage maintenance
3. Shoulder and approaches maintenance
4. Snow and ice control
5. Bridges maintenance
6. Traffic service Highway maintenance is closely
related to the quality of construction of original road.

30. Highway Maintenance Includes
• Physical maintenance-
Activities such as sealing, patching, filling joints etc.
• Traffic service activities-
Including painting pavement markings, removing
snow ice and litter
• Rehabilitation-
Includes restoring or betterment of roadway such as
resurfacing

31. Although the best type of surface course is pre-mix
carpet for Highway Maintenance.
• Intensity of Traffic is very high.
• The pro-mix mixtures are not easily available due to
long transportation or technical reason .
• When the cost is high .

32. The surface treatment methods are employed .The
surface treatment may be single or multiple .
• It provide long lasting economical surface for
granular base road having light and medium
traffic volume .
• It prevent entry of surface water into old
pavement that has been weathered or cracked .
• It improves the skid resistance of bitumen
surface where the surface has polished under
traffic.
• It provide temporary cover in case of delayed
incomplete pavement.

33. HIGHWAY MAINTANANCE WORKS IN
PROGRESS

34. Drainage System
As flowing water can be one of the greatest natural
destructive forces affecting a road. Drainage system
includes the following components.
• Ditches
• Culverts
• Ditch blocks
• Curbs / Gutters
• Subsurface drains
• Bridges

35. Each spring , the department will update and prioritize
the culvert maintenance program .The program will
describe any drainage system deficiencies and identify
what correction action need to be taken.

36. Conclusion
• Highway pavements plays an important role in
convenience , warning and direction.
• There should be better management from time to time
to keep the pavements in good condition.
• Designing of pavements should be upgrade for better
climate resistance.