At a time when the U.S. infrastructure continues to deteriorate, and construction and maintenance budgets remain underfunded, it becomes more imperative that highways and pavements achieve longer life and increased durability. The roadway of the future must be tougher, more durable and resistant to cracking, while also being cost-comparative with current methods and materials. FORTA’s line of macro synthetic fibers can build tougher, more durable and crack resistant pavements and has proven success in projects spanning over the course of many years.
There are several ways to consider three-dimensional macro synthetic fibers for pavements, each of which can offer cost and performance advantages over conventional pavement designs and practices.
The resulting FRC designs are dependent on fiber dosage – the higher the dosage, the more opportunities that become available. Based on these dosages, the following general parameters can be considered:
In the Aldi-Springfield car park and paving replacement project, FORTA-FERRO® 2-1/4″ was used at a dosage of 7.5 lb. / cu. yd. in over 1,300 cubic yards of 6 in. thick pavement, and eliminated over 7,000 linear feet of control-joint saw-cuts. While conventional practice would recommend joint spacing at 12 to 15 ft. for this pavement thickness, the fiber-reinforced pavement expanded the panels to approximately 40 ft. x 40 ft. squares, reducing the saw-cutting volume by approximately 2/3. No major issues were encountered in the mixing, placement, or broom-finish used for the project. In addition to the savings for labor, joint-fillers, and any light temperature-steel reinforcement that might be considered for this type of project, the owners benefit by saving the cost of future joint-related repairs, and gaining additional pavement toughness and durability.
In the past, the City of Orrville, OH, has successfully used FORTA-FERRO® at 4.0 lbs. / cu. yd., for their new city street reconstruction projects. They have successfully eliminated the use of traditional steel reinforcement and the need for placing dowel baskets at the transverse joints. This has resulted in reduced curling at the joints, mid-panel cracking and labor cost savings. By using a dosage of 5.0 lbs. / cu. yd. of FORTA-FERRO® for this project, the transverse joints were extended from 15’ to 30’ with no dowel baskets.
