ABSTRACT
An asphalt pavement, when designed and constructed properly, will provide years of service. All pavements will eventually require some type of maintenance. Asphalt pavements for parking facilities may require an application of sealer just to maintain or give a new appearance to the pavement for aesthetic reasons. Pavements continually undergo various types of stresses that induce minor defects into the pavement. Traffic loading, temperature, moisture, and subgrade movement can cause stresses. An asphalt pavement can exhibit various distresses that will eventually lead to the pavement’s failure. Cracks, holes, depressions, and other types of distresses are the end result of wear on the pavement. The ability for the engineer or maintenance professional to recognize the various distresses that can occur in asphalt pavements allows for the relevant remedial corrective measures to be applied. Not all asphalt pavements will exhibit all of the distress types. The environment and the type of service the asphalt pavement is in, usually determines the type of distresses it may exhibit. For example, an asphalt pavement in service in Aruba will probably not display any low temperature cracking. High traffic, expressway, or motorway type asphalt pavements can undergo a type of distress known as rutting, while parking facilities generally do not incur rutting. A pavement can exhibit one or more distresses in various severity levels. Distresses can range from surface imperfections to distresses that lead to structural failure of the pavement. Most pavement distresses, if identified early, can be repaired and not have any significant effect on the service life of the pavement. The identification of the various types of pavement distresses allows the pavement maintenance personnel to determine what type of remedial action is necessary.
