Development of a Design Catalog for Bonded Concrete Overlay Pavements Considering the Regional Characteristics of Korea

Abstract

The design of overlay pavement in Korea, using the American empirical method, does not consider the unique Korean climate, pavement material, and traffic conditions. Therefore, in this study, a mechanistic–empirical design catalog for bonded concrete overlays (BCO) that are appropriate for Korean pavement conditions was developed. First, the thickness of the new pavement slab was determined through the Korean pavement design method, which uses a mechanistic–empirical design program according to the traffic volume of the region with the worst climatic conditions in Korea. Then, finite element analysis models of new jointed concrete and BCO pavements were developed to determine the BCO thickness by adjusting it until the stress–strength ratio of an existing slab of BCO pavement was equal to that of a new concrete pavement slab. By repeating this procedure, a design catalog was developed for the sustainable management of concrete pavement according to the traffic volume, elastic modulus, and thickness of the existing slab after milling. The appropriateness of the BCO thickness predicted by the design catalog was verified by comparing it with that predicted by other design methods.

Finite Element Analysis of Continuously Reinforced Bonded Concrete Overlay Pavements Using the Concrete Damaged Plasticity Model

“…An elastic foundation with a spring constant of 0.03 was applied under the asphalt separation layer [41]. The elastic modulus of the new concrete pavement slab, as suggested by Tayabji and Okamoto [42], was applied to the concrete surface layer of the FE model, and Poisson's ratio, the unit weight, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the concrete surface layer were determined based on a study by Park et al [41,43]. The material properties for the FEA of the CRCP are listed in Table 1.…”

“…The thickness of the CRBCO was determined as being 80-150 mm, considering a BCO thickness of 80-150 mm, as suggested by the design method of the American Association of State High- The elastic moduli of the overlay layer and existing slab were determined as 35,000 and 28,000 MPa, respectively, after implementing the design method of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) for newly constructed and existing pavement slabs. The material properties of the subbase and rebar were determined according to a study by Park et al [41,43]. The material properties of the CRBCO pavement used in the FEA are listed in Table 2.…”