Occurrence of Bumps in Overlays

Summary:

The development of small bumps in the surface of hot-mix asphalt overlays has been a problem for state and local highway agencies for many years. Sometimes these bumps are small and are not large enough to be felt by drivers. Under many conditions, however, they can be large enough to cause ride-related problems at normal operating speeds. Under this project, a survey was conducted of local and state engineers in Minnesota responsible for highway construction and maintenance to compile corrective actions that they have used avoid these bumps and to mitigate their effects if they occur. Instrumentation sites were incorporated into this project to determine the magnitudes and profiles of temperature in the existing asphalt layer when a new layer of hot asphalt is placed on top of it. The instrumentation sites were also used to gain further information on the common practices of highway construction personnel in reducing the probability of bumps, and mitigation efforts if bumps occur. This report describes the survey, site visits, construction instrumentation, laboratory studies, and evaluation conducted by the project team. It also presents a draft booklet compiling the common practices for avoiding and mitigating bumps gathered throughout the project.

Final Deliverables:

• Report #2005-28

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