Crack Seal Treatment Research

This report summarizes the state-of-the-art and current state-of-the-practice of crack treatments and concludes with current best practices. This report is limited to crack sealing and crack filling of asphalt pavements, and does not consider joint filling on concrete pavements, reflective cracking retardation techniques, joint construction techniques, or other related issues.

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) H-106 maintenance experiment and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) of Pavement Maintenance Materials Test Sites project studied the treatment (sealing and filling) of cracks in asphalt-surfaced pavements. Many different treatment materials and methods were investigated between 1991 and 1998 through test sites installed at five locations in the United States and Canada. The findings of these combined studies have been merged with standard highway agency procedures to provide the most useful and up-to-date information on the practice of asphalt crack treatment.

This Manual of Practice is an updated version of the 1993 SHRP Crack Sealing and Filling Manual. It contains the latest information pertaining to the performance of treatment materials and methods, the availability and relative costs of sealant/filler materials, and the proper ways of planning, designing, constructing, and monitoring the performance of crack treatment projects. It also provides an updated partial listing of material and equipment manufacturers. 

This Manual is intended for field and office personnel within highway maintenance agencies and contracted maintenance firms.  It contains valuable information for supervisors and foremen in charge of individual crack treatment operations, engineers in charge of planning and overseeing many crack treatment projects, and managers in charge of establishing crack treatment policies and standards.