Will grooves increase spalling of Portland Cement Concrete?
Not if care is taken to leave a 3″ to 9″ space adjacent to the transverse joints. However, existing spalls and random cracks should be repaired prior to pavement grooving. All runway grooving is transverse and therefore grooving crosses all longitudinal joints without any detrimental effects. 2. Will grooves fill up with rubber and dirt? Experience indicates that grooves are self cleaning from traffic and rainfall with normal maintenance. Military installations with frequent touch-and-go operations sometimes use a cresylic acid solution and a metal broom sweeper to facilitate the removal of rubber deposits. However, on balance, grooved runways probably require less rubber removal than ungrooved runways. 3. What is the optimal groove pattern? Grooves should be specified to be 1/4 inch wide (+/- 1/16 inch) by 1/4 inch deep (+/- 1/16 inch) on 1-1/2 inch centers (+/- 1/8 inch), with a minimum of 60% of the grooves to be at least 1/4 inch deep. The grooves shall not deviate from a straight
