Numerical Analysis on the Structure Design of Precast Cement Concrete Pavement Slabs

Abstract

The performance of cast-in-place cement concrete pavement can be greatly influenced by the surrounding environment and the quality of construction, and it requires longer curing time before opening to the traffic. The precast cement concrete pavement has the potential to address the disadvantages of using the cast-in-place cement concrete as the pavement surface material, and it also provides an alternative solution for the rapid repair of pavement damage. The current study aimed to assess the influences of geometry of full-scaled precast concrete slabs with various load transfer joint types. A numerical analysis was conducted using the finite element method to analyze the mechanical responses of the single and double slabs in accordance with the elastic thin-plate theory and the Specifications for Design of Highway Cement Concrete Pavement. Under the premise of determining the most unfavorable load position for different mechanical parameters, the mechanical response regularity under the critical loads was determined. The precast concrete pavement slab with dimensions 4 m long, 3 m wide and 0.28 m thick exhibited better mechanical responses when considering the maximum deflection and flexural stress as the evaluation index. The results indicated that the variation of joint forms has marginal influences on the maximum deflection and displacement transfer coefficient. When considering the maximum flexural stress and load transfer coefficient of the precast slabs, the circular tongue-and-groove joint form was recommended for application.

An Experimental Study on the Properties of Concrete and Fiber-Reinforced Concrete in Rigid Pavements

“…This is important because W/C significantly affects the porosity of concrete. At the same time, porosity is precisely the most significant structural characteristic that plays a role in the frost resistance and permeability of concrete in rigid pavements [3,8,16,41,42].…”

“…For example, in one study [8], the use of 49.5 kg/m 3 of steel fiber or 10.0 kg/m 3 of polypropylene fiber led to a reduction in the pavement thickness from 6% to 39% depending on the design method. In another study [15], the strength, frost resistance, and abrasion resistance of concrete pavement improved approximately equally because of the use of polypropylene in the amount of 3.0 kg/m 3 or steel fiber in the amount of 25 kg/m 3 .…”

“…Road surfaces are maintained while considering the variable directions of the load from transport and, at the same time, the dynamic effects of the load [3,4]. Fiber-reinforced concrete is one of the most effective materials for maintaining road surfaces [5][6][7].…”

Precast Assembled Road Paving Technology: Progress and Prospects

“…To date, this system has been widely utilized for production and paving. The system has been field-tested by transport authorities in several US states and Ontario, Canada [43,44]. Notably, this system is used not only for the intermittent rehabilitation of pavements but also for continuous paving operations.…”

“…To date, this system has been widely utilized for production and paving. The system has been field-tested by transport authorities in several US states and Ontario, Canada [43,44].…”