Investigation of Spall Repair Materials for Concrete Pavement: Summary Report

This project summary report summarizes the research performed in Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project 0-5110. TxDOT often needs to repair spalled concrete pavement in a short period of time to avoid traffic delays. The main objective of this project was to assemble the best repair practices and material selection process to address rapid repair of spall damage in concrete pavement. In order to accomplish this objective, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) evaluated the effectiveness of repair materials and procedures currently used in the state of Texas and performed laboratory tests to determine the properties of each material toward providing a basis for comparison. To collect information about materials in the field, performance surveys and field placements were carried out with TxDOT assistance. On this basis, the research team developed guidelines to assist engineers in selecting cost-effective spall repair materials and procedures that work well for rapid repair. Spall repair materials should be selected through consideration and comparison of material behavior characteristics and properties. The acceptability of a material is heavily dependent upon the ability of it to bond to an existing concrete surface. Specifically, materials can be ranked according to material bond strengths, stiffness, cost, placeability, and overall utility. A list of materials, ranked on these criteria, can be used to select an appropriate material for a given repair project.