In many parts of the world, transverse and longitudinal cracking of asphalt pavements is a problem that can result in costly maintenance and often requires expensive rehabilitation of the roads. Surface cracking of asphalt pavement can be the result of poor mix design, fatigue due to traffic loads, thermal stresses, presence of cracks in the old pavement, and lack of proper drainage. While advances were made in the field of asphalt pavement, surface cracking remains a challenging problem.
This paper reports the results of field surveys carried out in Canada and Egypt. The results revealed that the geometry of the highway plays a major role in the occurrence of surface cracking. Also, this paper presents results of analytical and laboratory investigations verifying the results of the field survey.