Improved models for analysis of load and thermal effects on concrete pavement

Abstract

Concrete pavements, which generally consist of a series of concrete slabs resting on multi-layered sub-structures, have transverse and longitudinal joints at regular intervals. In the design and the analysis of concrete pavement, analytical solutions obtained from single-slab models have been widely adopted. One major shortcoming of single-slab models is that the effects of joint load transfer cannot be considered. To incorporate the effects of joint load transfer into the analysis of jointed concrete pavement system, four multiple-slab analytical models for analysis of load and thermal effects on concrete pavement were developed in this research. Verifications of these models were made by comparing with existing analytical solutions, finite element solutions and field measurements. Analyses based on these multiple-slab models concluded that the effects of joint shear transfer should be considered in the analysis of concrete pavement under traffic loading or nonlinear temperature distribution.