Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/348335
RoadScience by Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor 4 July 2014 Better Roads D iamond grooving and grinding of aging port- land cement concrete (PCC) pavement renews the pavement, providing a smoother-riding surface while enhancing skid-resistance and reducing pavement noise, experience and research shows. As PCC can be somewhat rough following placement, grooving and grinding also can be applied to virgin PCC pavements to improve IRI smoothness numbers before they're open to traffi c. And the resulting smoother profi le reduces dynamic load- ing on the pavement, thus extending its service life, according to the International Grooving & Grinding Association (IGGA), so grooving and grinding – as does surface texturing, by use of mobile shot blast equipment – fi t into today's movement of pavement preservation. Grooving and grinding have been identifi ed as essential parts of the Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS), as articulated in 2009. This term describes a category of grooved textures for both new construction and rehabilitation that reduce pavement noise and improve smoothness. However, it all can come at a steep price: Diamond grind- ing, grooving and shotblasting require expensive, self- propelled specialty equipment, and usually is executed by a subcontractor with equipment and crews. In some instances, as in Florida, grinding of new PCC pavements is required by state Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, so the cost is built into the overall project price. Grooving, grinding and preservation Diamond grooving and grinding is a concrete pavement pres- ervation technique that corrects a variety of surface imperfec- tions on concrete pavements, and may be used in conjunction Diamond grooving and grinding are being used to restore rough or polished concrete pavements to ultrasmooth conditions and quell noise – but at a price. In the Groove Photo courtesy of International Grooving and Grinding Association Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS) describes a category of grooved textures for both new construction and rehabilitation that reduce pavement noise and improve smoothness.