StressAbsorbingMembraneInterlayer(SAMI)usingtheFiberMatTMprocess

DarwynSprouleP.Eng.,Head,GeotechnicalSection
MinistryofTransportationGeotechnicalOfficeEasternRegion

ToddFilsonC.Tech.,PavementDesign&EvaluationOfficer
MinistryofTransportationGeotechnicalOfficeEasternRegion

DerekNunnP.Eng.,Sales&MarketingManager
NorjohnContractingandPavingLimited

Paperpreparedforpresentation
attheInnovationsinPavementPreservationSession

ofthe2012Conferenceofthe
TransportationAssociationofCanada
Fredericton,NewBrunswick

FiberMatTMisaprocessthatsandwichesstrandsofchoppedfiberglassbetweentwolayersofpolymer
modified asphalt emulsion, and is applied using specialized equipment. The first layer of emulsion
provides a bond to the existing hard surface, with random interweaving of the fiberglass strands
providing tensile strength to the mix, the second application of asphalt emulsion encapsulates the
fiberglass,ensurestheexistingpavementissealed,andisquicklycoveredwithathinveilofaggregate.
Theaggregateisseatedintothissecondlayerofemulsionusingtraditionalrollingtechniquesandthe
SAMIiscapableofacceptingtrafficinapproximately20minutes.
Thisreinforcedlayercanbeusedasatemporarywearingsurface,onhighvolumeroads,andisusually
coveredwithathinlayerofhotmixasphaltwithin14days.Oncecappedwithhotmix,itbecomesa
trueSAMI.Itsfunctionistosealtheexistingpavementwitharesilientwaterproofmembrane,reduce
reflectivecrackingthroughthenewwearingsurface,andultimatelyprolongtheusefulservicelifeofthe
road.
Thispaperwillfocusonaspecificprojectin2009onMTOHighway62northofIvanhoe,detailingthe
use of FiberMatTM as a SAMI, given the original construction, traffic volumes and existing pavement
conditions. A special provision to ensure a quality mix design, quality materials and quality
workmanship of the FiberMatTM layer; was developed by the MTO as part of this project and has
subsequentlybeenusedinotherareasoftheprovince.

mbraneInterlayer(SAMI)
StressAbsorbingMem
Asphalt in
nterlayer sysstems consistt of a wide variety of products
p
and processes, each with unique
benefits and
a specific placement
p
m
methods
to en
nsure good adhesion
a
to the
t underlyin
ng pavement.. The
products may be classsified in a nu
umber of categories such as; sand asp
phalts, grids, nonwovens, steel
mentsandSA
AMIs.
reinforcem
In generaal, a SAMI is placed on top of an existting pavemen
nt and subseq
quently capped with a ho
ot mix
asphaltovverlay(Figure1).Itspurp
poseistodelaaythepropaggationofcracckingthatoriginatesintheepre
existingpavementthatwilleventuaallyreflectthroughtothenewsurfacelayers.Crackinginthesu
urface
layers allows penetraation of watter, salt and other deletterious mateerials that caan acceleratee the
deteriorattionoftheen
ntirepavementstructureo
onceitpenetratestheaggregatebase.

Figure1
1.SAMIwithinthePavementStructu
ure

HotMixxAsphaltOveerlay
SAMISStressAbsorb
bing
MembrraneInterlayeer

PreExisstingPavement

oncreteistyp
picallyunaffectedstructurrallybywaterunlesstheassphaltaggreggateis
Asaturattedasphaltco
stripping prone. In contrast, a saturated baase aggregatte loses about 40% of its strength when
saturated.(Source:P
PavementPreeservationTasskGroupofC
Caltrans)
In effect each crack will
w allow a certain amou
unt of waterr to enter th
he road base hence negaatively
impactinggtheoriginalengineeredd
design.AnefffectiveSAMIshouldthereefore;provideeadditionalteensile
strengthttothepavem
menttocomb
batreflective cracking,beflexibleenoughtoallow ittomovew
within
thepavem
mentstructurreaswellas providingaw
waterproofbaarrierforthe ingresswateerfromthesu
urface
tothepreeexistingpavvement.
ConstructtingaSAMIu
usingtheFibe
erMatTMprocess
T
FiberMatTM
is a flexib
ble, waterpro
oof membrane that inco
orporates asphalt emulsion and fiberglass
strands to
o combat refflective cracking, meeting all three req
quirements of
o an effectivee SAMI. Pateented
TM
equipmen
nt,developed
dspecificallyffortheFiberM
Mat process,ensuresevvendistributio
onofthematterials
andprecissecomputercontrolstoallowadjustmentsinappliccationratesw
whilethemacchineisinmotion.

Thisequip
pmentisconttainedwithin
natrailerthatthousesseveeralspoolsofffiberglass,th
hepatentedccutter
assembly system,anaasphaltemulssionpumpan
nddistributio
onspraynozzzles,plusthecomputersyystem
that conttrols the app
plication rate of each com
mponent (Figgure 2). Thee unit is pulled by an assphalt
emulsion tanker, connecting the output lines of the tankker to the FiberMatTM machines emu
ulsion
pumpingsystem.

Figure2.TheFiberM
MatTM ApplicaationSystem

SpoolsofFiiberglass

Fiberglass
Feed&
Cutter
Assembly

DirectionofTrravel

AsphaltEmulsion
A
n
S
SuppliedbyTow
w
V
Vehicle

Secon
ndlayerof
asphaltemulsion

Fiberglassstrands,
saandwiched
betweentwo
emulsionlayers

Firstlayerrofasphalt
emulsion

Exxistingsurface

Thefibergglassstrandsarepneumatticallyblownbetweentwo
oseparatelayyersofasphalltemulsion(FFigure
3.)ensuringcompleteandevencovverageofbothfiberglassaandasphaltem
mulsion(Figu
ure4).

M
Figure3.FiberMatTM
Application
nSystem

Secon
ndlayerof
asphalttemulsion

Chopped
C
Fiberglass

Figure4.Evendistribu
utionofmate
erials

Firstlayeerof
asphalteemulsion

de(easilycovvering
Theeven distribution ofemulsionaandfiberglasssisachievablleinaswath upto4mwid
nd cutters alllow the opeerator to varry the
an entire lane width)). Computerr synchronizeed nozzles an
onwidthtoacccommodateechangesinp
pavementwid
dth,tapered sectionsand turninglaness.Itis
applicatio
TM
possibletoplaceFiberMat asnarrrowas1mto
oamaximumof4m(150m
mmincrementts).
Separate spools of fiiberglass are individually fed from the trailer to
o the cutter assembly on
n the
applicatio
ondeckthroughseriesofttubes(Figure5),atthebacckofthemacchine.

Figure5.A
Applicationd
deck,showinggseparatelin
nesoffiberglaasscapableo
ofupto4mw
widthinsingle
epass

Tocompletetheproce
ess,itisneceessarytoimb
bedalayeroffaggregatein
ntothesecon
ndlayerofassphalt
emulsion..Aggregateiisplacedwith
hatraditionaalchipspread
derandseatedusingpneu
umaticrollers.The
purposeo
oftheaggregatelayeristo
oprotectthenewlyconstrructedmemb
branefromveehiculartraffiicand
construction equipment. The com
mpleted FiberrMatTM (SAM
MI) is capable of acceptingg traffic with
hin 20
beoverlaidwithhotmixaasphaltpriorttotheonset offreezingteemperatures.The
minutes, andshouldb
droad,FiberM
MatTMandagggregatearesshownbelow(Figure6).
unfinished

TM
Figure6
6.Stagesof FiberMat
F
application

PreA
Application

EmulsionandFiberglass
4

Aggregateapplication

The entire train of equipment consists of the emulsion tanker, FiberMatTM trailer, chip spreader,
aggregatetrucksandrubbertirerollers(Figure7).

Figure7.Tanker,FiberMatTMmachine,chipspreaderandaggregatedeliverytruck

DirectionofTravel

BringingNewTechnologytoMarket
IntroducingnewtechnologiessuchasFiberMatTMtotheestablishedroadbuildingindustryhasitsshare
ofchallengesforbothcontractorsandagencies.
Contractors are expected to take on significant risk when developing new technologies. The cost of
research and development, purchasing new equipment, training personnel and marketing a yet
unproven product, are all investments that may not bring any return. Agencies tend to be more risk
averse, developing strict contract specifications that must be adhered to, while trying to ensure the
mostcosteffectivesolutionsareutilized.
Perhaps the biggest detriment to the introduction of new technologies in the public domain, are
purchasingpoliciesthatrequirepricingfrommorethanonebidder.Ifatechnologyistrulynew,then
thereshouldonlybeoneoffering.
FiberMatTM was developed by Colas S.A. in Europe and provides licensing of the technology to
contractors throughout the world. Selected licensees typically have a working knowledge of asphalt
emulsions, are reputable contractors and are active in promoting other pavement preservation
methods.
Asalicensedcontractor,Norjohnhasbeenprovidedwithtraining,technicalsupportandformulations
specifictotheFiberMatTMprocess.Asstatedearlier,thisexclusivitycreateschallengeswhenbringing
somethinguniquetothemarket.
5

The collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario and Norjohn Contracting and
PavingLimitedhaveovercomethesebarrierstogether,successfullyintroducingFiberMatTMasaSAMIto
provincialhighways,thefirstofwhichfortheMTOwasHighway62.

MTOContract20094021Rehabilitation/Resurfacing
ThelimitsoftheHighway62projectwerefromIvanhoenortherly7.6kmto1kmsouthofQuinnMo
Lac Road and from South limit of Madoc southerly for 1.7 km (9.35 c.l. kms), the limits of which are
showninFigure8.

Figure8.Limitsofthecontract20094021

The characteristics of the existing pavement structure were summarized in the contract documents
encouragingcontractorstoreviewthesite,todetermineifthetechnologiesproposedforaSAMIwere
appropriate.

PavementStructure
ExistingP
Originallycons
O
structedinthelate50sto
oearly60s,andlastresurffacedintheeearly80s.
AADTof6500with6.3%commercialtraffic.
hemaximumgradeis5.9%
%
Th
Th
heexistingpaavementis14
40mmindep
pth(average)..Thesurface consistsofa40mmliftoffHL4
ovveranHL2levellingcoursee(+/25mm)completedu
underContracct80011.
Priortotreatm
mentthe30yearoldsectio
oncurrentlyeexhibitsthefo
ollowingdistrresses:
Extenssiveravellingandcoarseaggregatelosss
Severaalmoderated
distortions
Extenssivealligatoreedlongitudinaalwheeltrackkcracking
Freque
entmoderateecenterline,eedgeofpavem
mentandmid
dlanecracks,withalligatoring
Extenssiveseveretransversecraccking
omenewerm
machinepatch
heshadbeen
nplaced,pred
dominantlyso
outhofQuinn
nMoLacRoaad
So

ortIndex
PavementEvaluationRideComfo
on to the notes regardingg pavement structure, th
he MTO emp
ploys two com
mponents in their
In additio
pavementtevaluationssystemtomeeasurehowco
omfortableth
herideis.Whenmeasurin
ngridecomfo
ortan
AutomaticRoadAnalyyzer(ARAN)eequippedvan with37sonaarsensors,taakesultrasou
undreadings every
hDakotaLaseerProfilometrestomeasu
ureIRI
10metress(Figure9). Theunitisallsoequipped with2South
inthewheelpaths.Th
hisinformatio
oniscollectedannuallyto
overifyofficiaalrideinform
mationgatherredby
consultan
nts.

exforthissecctionofhighw
waypriortorehabilitationwasmeasu
uredas4.7on
na10
TheRideComfortInde
pointscalle(verypoor).

Figure9.MTOAutom
maticRoadAn
nalyzer(ARAN)

PavementConditionIndex
The MTO SP024 Manual for condition rating of flexible pavements, was also used to evaluate the
pavementpriortorehabilitation.Thistechniquerequiresthecompletionofacomprehensiveformthat
considers; Ride Condition Rating at 80km/hr, surface defects and deformations, shoulder distresses,
maintenancetreatments,andofcoursecracking(seeAppendixA).

Thedensityandseverityofthesedistressesaretabulatedtoprovideascorefrom0100.Scoresabove
90indicatethepavementisinexcellentcondition,thosearound60aredeemedtobeinfaircondition.
The preexisting Pavement Condition Index for this section of Highway 62 measured 36 and was
consideredinverypoorcondition(Figure9).

Figure9.Photographoftypicalpreexistingconditions

PavementStrategy
When determining the pavement rehabilitation strategy for Highway 62, two separate phases were
adopted.

Phase1SAMIwithsingleliftresurfacing
Phase2deferredsurfacecourse(5to6years)

ThepurposeoftheSAMIwasto:

- Sealtheoriginalpavementsurface,providingresilientwaterproofmembrane
- Reducereflectivecracking
- Provideacosteffectivebalancebetweeninitialcostvs.servicelife
- RejuvenatetheexistingoxidizedHMAsurface
- Accommodatefuturerehabstrategies(FiberMatTMcanberecycled)
8

Reducegreenhousegasemissions,energyandmaterialrequirementsassociatedwithdeferred
surfacecourseapplications
- Evaluatepotentialtreatmentforpavementsexhibitingprematurecrackingduetosuspectedlow
temperaturePGACperformanceissues
- IndicatesuitabilityforforuseinotherRegions
- Determineifthisisacosteffectiverehabilitationstrategy

Deteriorationofthepavementwasnotconsistentthroughouttheentire9.35kmsection,allowingeven
furthervariationsontheuseoftheSAMI.AsmallurbansectionthroughthevillageofIvanhoerequired
milling(inordertomaintainelevationsatcurbandgutter).TheSAMIwasplacedonmilledsurfacewith
the hot mix overlay to follow. The majority of the project utilized SAMI directly on the existing
pavement,cappedwithhotmixasphalt,asseendescribedearlier(Figure1).Athirdvariationconsisted
of asphalt padding/levelling, then SAMI, and the final hot mix overlay (Figure 10). The padding was
requiredtocorrectcrossfall,potholesandseveredeteriorationinselectareas.

Figure10.SAMIinathreelayersystem
-

HotMixAsphaltOverlay
SAMI
LevelingCourse

PreExistingPavement

A100mControlSectionthatreceivednoSAMI,butwascappedwiththehotmixoverlaywillbeused
asabenchmarktodeterminetheefficacyoftheSAMI

FiberMatTMSAMIDesign
Based on the recommended formulations provided by COLAS SA and Norjohn Contracting and Paving
Limited,adetailedspecialprovisionforthisparticularprojectincludedthefollowing:

Contractortocompleteadetailedmixdesign
CertificateofConformanceforallmaterials(asphaltemulsion,aggregateandfibreglass)
Calibrationofequipment
CertificateofConformance(verifiedbyanEngineer)uponcompletion
9

AdditionalmeasureswererequiredtoensuretheintegrityoftheSAMIandprotectthetravellingpublic:

Traffictotravelonfinalcompacted(swept)SAMIsurface
SAMIexposedtotrafficfortwoconsecutiveweekends
Reducedspeedzoneuntilhotmixoverlaywascomplete
Contractorresponsiblefordamagetovehiclescausedbylooseaggregate

ConditionReviewOctober2010
IntermittentmonitoringofthesitehasoccurredsincethecompletionoftheprojectinSeptember2009
with a formal condition review completed one year later. Additional studies, specific to reflective
crackingwillcontinueduringthelifeofthepavementtoensuretheproductisperformingasexpected.

Todate:
TheSAMItreatmentisperformingasexpected
ExtensivecrackingisevidentinthecontrolsectionthatdidnotreceivetheSAMI
RideComfortIndexhasimprovedsignificantlycomparedtotheoriginalcondition
Prepadding,SAMIandhotmixoverlayareas(Figure10)areperformingthebest
Consideringthestagedapproach,theFiberMatTMSAMIiscosteffective

PhotographsfromConditionReviewOctober2010

10

11

12


SAMISchool
This particular project generated considerable interest within the MTO Eastern Regions Geotechnical
andConstructionoffices.Duringtheproject,aseminarwasheld,tohelpexplainthebenefitsofusing
FiberMatTM as a SAMI and naturally there is continued interest to see if the process is performing as
expected.

Ongoingmonitoringcontinues(comparedtothecontrolsection),andEasternRegionhassincecalled2
moreprojectswithFiberMatTMasaSAMI.Internalreportsonthedesignprocesshavebeensharedwith
otherregionsandin2011,NorthernRegioncompletedasimilarprojectonHighway17.

TheFuture.

Eastern Region has 15 pavement sections or 195 centre lane kms with a PCI less than 55
representinganowneed
If5sections@13kmeax$100ksavingsperc.l.km=$6.5millioncanbedeferred=equalsthe
abilitytodeliveranotherconstructionproject
NorjohnContractingandPavingLimitediscurrently workingwithanindependentengineering
firmtobetterdeterminethelifecyclebenefitsofusingFiberMatTM.

13

APPENDIXA

14

References
Chaignon,F.,Croteau,J.M.,Thompson,J.M.,2007.AFourYearPerformanceReviewofNorthAmerican
andInternationalFibreReinforcedMembraneSystems(November2011)

Chehab,G.R.,Palacios,C.,2007.EvaluationStudyofFiberMatASurfaceTreatmentforLowVolume
Roads,http://www.pti.psu.edu/pti_docs/06_07rprts/PTI%20200762%20Final%20Report_s.pdf(May
2008)

Chehab,G.R.,Palacios,C.,2007.EvaluationStudyofFiberMatBInterlayerSystemforRoadway
PavementRehabilitationhttp://www.pti.psu.edu/pti_docs/06_07rprts/PTI%202007
52%20Final%20Report_s.pdf(May2008)

ComiteFrancaisPourlesTechniquesRoutieres,2007.AvisTechniqueCOLFIBRE

Dutchak,P.,2010,ACountyPerspectivetoAssetManagement,
http://www.aema.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=docman&Itemid=132(January2012)

GoogleMaps,2012,https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=madoc&hl=en&ll=44.45829,
77.440567&spn=0.12473,0.3368&sll=44.227181,
76.765251&sspn=0.031306,0.0842&hnear=Madoc,+Hastings+County,+Ontario&t=m&z=12(June2012)

Hein,D.,2008,PlanningandExecutinganEffectivePavementPreservationProgram
http://www.aema.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=docman&Itemid=132(November2011)

Kazmierowski,T.,2010,SustainableBenefitsofEmulsionBasedPavementPreservationTreatments:
OntariosExperience,
http://www.aema.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=docman&Itemid=132(January2012)

MTONonStandardSpecialProvision,2008.Highway62SAMINSPSingleSurfaceTreatmentStress
AbsorbingMembraneInterlayer(SAMI)(June2009)

Phillips,T.,2009,MaintainingyourNetworksHealthAsphaltEmulsionTechnologiesWorkshop,
http://www.aema.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=docman&Itemid=132(January2012)

Uhlman,B.,Kadrmas,A.,2008,EcoEfficiencyofChipSeals
http://www.aema.org/index.php?option=com_docman&view=docman&Itemid=132(February2012)

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