Ali Khodaii - Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Shahab Fallah - M. S. c Student in Highway Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

An experimental program was conducted to determine the effects of geosynthetic reinforcement on mitigating reflection cracking in asphalt overlays. The objectives of this study were to asses the effects of geosynthetics inclusion and its placement location on the accumulation of permanent deformation. This study revealed that geosynthetic reinforced specimens improved resistance to reflection cracking. Placing the geogrid at the one third depth of overlay thickness from bottom had the maximum service life. Results indicate a significant reduction in the rate of crack propagation and rutting in reinforced samples compared to unreinforced samples.

Reflection cracking, asphalt overlays, deformation, crack propagation, geosynthetics