The thin bonded friction course is used as a pavement preservation treatment to restore skid resistance, improve ride quality, and arrest surface oxidation.

The thin bonded friction course is an open-graded mix (PFC or denser wearing course) placed on polymer modified rapid-setting emulsion membrane. Placement of a thin bonded PFC surface is intended to provide increased safety and better ride quality on a high speed roadway. These mixtures are placed before the emulsion breaks using a specialty paver. Note: Membrane rate must meet the requirements of Item 348.

The thin bonded friction course may also be used when there are restrictions on overlay thickness due to clearance requirements.

The alternate option to this process is placing a tack coat and thin overlay using a mixture such as a Thin Overlay Mix (TOM, Item 347), dense-graded TY F mix (Item 341), or an underseal (seal coat) plus a 3/4-in. thick PFC (Item 342). These options require two separate operations/pieces of equipment.