A Comprehensive Review on Reflective Cracking: Concept, Mechanism, and Laboratory Performance Tests

Asphalt overlay is one the common rehabilitation alternative to mitigate a deteriorated flexible or rigid pavement. In such case, the cracks from existing pavement rapidly propagate through the asphalt concrete overlay, which makes this solution as a less durable alternative for rehabilitation purpose. The appearance of existing cracks or joint from underlying pavement through the surface of new overlayed bituminous surface is commonly referred as reflective cracking. This cracking usually appears in the early age of overlay serviceability. There are two main roots of reflecting presences cracks though new surface: traffic and environmental loading. Many studies have been done to understand the mechanism of each loading and its contribution to the reflective cracking initiating and propagation process. There is not a complete solution for preventing of such cracks in AC overlay yet, while many types of research concentrated on the retardation of reflective cracking in the AC overlay. In this review, the significant factors involved in initiating and propagation process of reflective cracking were reviewed and discussed, and then the mechanism of two primary external loading was explained. The finding showed that incorporation of an interlayer effectivity enhances the reflective cracking resistance. And also, modification of used asphalt mixture, overlay thickness, using stress relieving interlayer and incorporation of stress absorbing interlayer have an effective influence on retardation of reflective cracking in AC overlay.