RIGID PAVEMENT

Characteristic of Rigid
Pavement

Source: http://www.pavement.com/Concrete_Pavement/Technical/Fundamentals/
Characteristic of Rigid
Pavement
 Subgrade
 Subbase
 Toplayer
Subgrade
 Primary function is to support load transmitted from
overlaying layer
 Compacted to maximum density
Subbase/base layer
 Is optional, depending on the engineering properties
of the subgrade.If the subgrade soil is poor and
erodable, then it is advisable to use a base layer. If the
subgrade soil has good engineering properties and
drain well, a base layer need not be used.
 Subbases provide uniform support to the pavement
and a stable platform for construction equipment.
 Subbases also help prevent movement of subgrade
soils at transverse pavement joints in roads subject to a
large volume of truck traffic. Subbases may be gravel,
stone, cement-modified soil or asphalt.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RIGID AND
FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
1. The manner in which the load is distribute over
the subgrade.
 Rigid pavement, because of concrete’s rigidity and
stiffness, tends to distribute the load over a relatively
wide area of subgrade.
 Flexible pavement, built with weaker and less stiff
material usually require more layers and greater
thickness for optimally transmitting load to the
subgrade.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RIGID AND
FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
2. MAJOR design factor
 The major factor considered in the design of rigid
pavement is the structural strength of the concrete. For
this reason, minor variations in subgrade strength have
little influence upon the structural capacity of the
pavement.
 The major factor considered in the design of flexible
pavements is the combined strength of the layers.
Material Used in Rigid
Pavement
 Portland Cement
 Coarse Aggregate
 Fine Aggregate
 Water
 Reinforcing Steel
 Temperature Steel
 Dowel Bar
 Tie Bar

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Temperature Steel
 Bar mat or wire mesh : longitudinal and transverse
welded at regular interval
 3 in. below slab surface
 The amount of steel required depends on the
 Length of pavement between expansion joint
 Max allowable stress in pavement
 Pavement thickness
 Modulii of elasticity of Concrete and steel

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Temperature Steel
 Purpose: not to prevent cracking but control the
crack width because the steel acts as tie holding the
edge of the cracks together.
 This helps to increase shear resistance of the slab

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Dowel Bars
 Mainly as a load transfer mechanism across joints.
 Provides flexure, shearing and bearing resistance
 Diameter of 1 to 1.5 in and length 2-3 ft spaced 1ft
c/c across the slab width
 One end should be smooth and lubricated to
facilitate free expansion

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Tie Bar
 To tie two section together
 Diameter 0.75 in and 3 ft spacing

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Joint in Concrete Pavement
 Expansion Joints
 Contraction Joints
 Hinge Joints
 Construction Joints

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Expansion Joints
 Place transversely, at regular intervals, to provide
adequate space for the slab to expand
 Across full width of the slab and 0.75 to 1 in wide in
longitudinal direction
 The joint space filled with compressible material (e.g
cork, rubber, bituminous material etc)

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Contraction Joint
 Decrease in temperature , slab will contract if it is free
to move.
 Prevention from moving will induce tensile stress in
the concrete pavement.
 This joint will released the induced tensile stress

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Hinge Joints
 To reduce crack at centre line of concrete pavement.

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Construction Joint
 Placed transversely
 To provide suitable transition between concrete laid at
different times

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Types of Rigid Pavements
 Plain concrete pavement
 Simply reinforced concrete pavement
 Continuously reinforced concrete pavement

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Jointed Plain Concrete
Pavement (JPCP)
 No temperature steel or dowels for load transfer
 Steel tie bars are often used:
 To provide hinge effect at longitudinal joints
 To prevent the opening of these joints
 For low volume highway
 When cement-stabilized soils are used as subbase
 Joints at shorter distances (10-20 ft) to reduce
amount of cracking

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Simply Reinforced Concrete
Pavement
 Has dowels to transfer the traffic loads across the
joints
 Joints spaced at longer distances (30ft-100ft)
 Temperature steel is used – it depends on the length
of the slab
 Tie bars commonly used at longitudinal joints.

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Continuously Reinforced
Concrete Pavements (CRCP)
 No transverse joints (except construction joints or
expansion joints when necessary such as at bridge
approach)
 Has high percentage of steel (0.6% of cross-section
of slab)
 Tie bars across the longitudinal joints

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Pumping of Rigid Pavement
 Discharge of water and subgrade or subbase material
through joints, cracks and edge of pavement
 Caused by repeated deflection of pavement slab in the
presence of accumulation of water underneath it

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Pumping of Rigid Pavement

http://training.ce.washington.edu
Design Consideration for
Preventing Pumping
 Reduce or eliminate expansion joint
 Replace soil susceptible to the pumping with granular
or sandy soils or
 Improve subase or subgrade with stabilization process
 Stabilization process????

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Assignment 1
 Describe one type of stabilization process of sub base
or sub grade. Prepare your short report based on
following format:
 Introduction
 Stabilization method
 Type of suitable soil
 Process (include pictures, flow chart, related graph or chart)
 Testing (include pictures, flow chart, related graph or chart)
 References (arrange accordingly)
 3-4 pages (minimum-not include references)
Stress in Rigid Pavement
 Stress due to wheel load
 Stress due to temperature effects
 Assumption made in determining the stress:

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Wheel Load
 3 critical location of wheel load on the concrete
pavement:
A. At the corner
B. At interior of the slab
C. At the edge of the slab

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Wheel Load

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Temperature
Effect
 The edge curling stress is resisted by the weight of
the concrete pavement.
 The resistance tends to keep the slab to its original
position, resulting stress induced in the pavement.
 The stress may cause cracking of the pavement
when it is very high
 Studies have shown that the stress increases as the
width of the slab increases.
 Longitudinal joint may reduces the stress as it limits
the slab width to 10-12 ft
Garber & Hoel, 2009
Stress Due to Temperature
Effect
 The temperature difference also depends on the
 Slab thickness
 Season
 Latitude of slab location – higher as approaching
equator

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Temperature
Effect

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Temperature
Effect

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Stress Due to Temperature
Effect

Garber & Hoel, 2009

THICKNESS DESIGN OF RIGID
PAVEMENTS
 Main objective: to determine the thickness of the
concrete slab that will be adequate to carry the
projected traffic load for the design period
 Two methods:
 AASHTO Method
 PCA Method

Garber & Hoel, 2009

AASHTO method
 Design consideration:
 Pavement performance
 Subgrade strength
 Subbase strength
 Traffic
 Concrete properties
 Drainage
 Reliability

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Pavement Performance
 Structural performance:
 Functional performance: riding comfort
 Present servicebility index (PSI): Roughness,
distress measured in terms of extent of cracking,
patching and rut depth
 The scale: 0 (lowest) – 5 (highest)
 Initial servicebility index (Pi): servicebility index
immediately after construction
 Terminal servicebility index (Pt): minimum acceptable
value before resurfacing is necessary Garber & Hoel, 2009
Pavement Performance
 Recommended value for Pt = 2.5 or 3.0 (major
highway) 2.0 (lower class.)
 Minimum Pt = 1.5

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Subgrade Strength
 Measured by Westergaard modulus of subgrade
reaction, k
 Plate bearing test
 k depends on:
 Seasonal effect on resilient modulus of subgrade
 Type and thickness of subbase material
 Effect of potential erosion of subbase
 Whether bedrock lies within 10 ft of the subgrade
surface
Garber & Hoel, 2009
CBR 5-10

CBR greater than 10

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Garber & Hoel, 2009
Effect of Potential Erosion of
Subbase
Effect of Potential Erosion of
Subbase

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Bedrock lies within 10 ft from
subgrade surface

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Subbase Strength

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Traffic
 The traffic load is given in term of equivalent axial
loads (ESALs).
 ESAL factors depend on:
 Slab thickness
 Terminal serviceability index, Pt
 Repeated process???

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Garber & Hoel, 2009
Garber & Hoel, 2009
Fwa, 2006
Drainage

Fwa, 2006 andGarber & Hoel, 2009

Reliability design level
 Assurance level that the pavement section designed
using the procedure will survive for its design period

Fwa, 2006
Reliability design level
 So accounts for chance variation in the traffic forecast
and chance variation in actual pavement performance
for a given design period

Fwa, 2006
Design Procedure

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Design Procedure

Garber & Hoel, 2009

Garber & Hoel, 2009
Thank You