Synthesis and Literature Review of Nonwoven Paving Fabrics Performance in Overlays

Abstract

Nonwoven paving fabrics have been used in asphalt overlays for more than three decades. Even though these nonwoven fabrics have been widely and successfully used in a variety of design and construction situations, there is no synthesis of their performance. In addition, current pavement structural-design methods do not provide a rational basis for considering the benefits of including paving fabrics in a pavement structural-section design. These two factors—limited performance data and lack of a design approach—have restricted the consideration and application of paving fabrics. These same limitations also have resulted in a lack of consistent consideration of the paving-fabric option in pavement management systems. The available literature on the uses and effectiveness of paving fabrics is synthesized. The information is based on a literature survey of more than 200 references conducted during the last 2 years to establish the benefits of using paving fabrics in pavement overlays as well as to acknowledge the results and findings of past successes and failures. After the literature review, a telephone survey of experienced users was conducted to determine the basic performance of nonwoven fabrics in asphalt-concrete-overlay performance. A synthesis of current practices and results is presented.