Use of an Infrared Joint Heater to Improve Longitudinal Joint Performance in Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements

Longitudinal joint cracking is one of the most prevalent forms of distress in asphalt concrete pavements. The joint area does not achieve the same density as the mat due to an unconfined edge on the initial pass and a cold joint during the second pass. The lower density allows water to penetrate and the material cracks, usually within one?year of construction. There are many techniques for constructing longitudinal joints, one being to preheat the joint prior to paving the second lane. This paper describes a field study conducted in New Hampshire using an infrared joint heater. Thermocouples were embedded in the pavement to determine the extent of heat penetration from the infrared heaters. Cores were taken along the joint and in the travel lanes for both the control and test sections. Density and strength measurements were taken on the cores. Permeability measurements along the control and test joints were performed. A cracking survey performed one?year after construction showed that the section of pavement where the infrared heater was used had significantly less cracking than the control section.