Abstract
Concrete pavements face various types of distresses such as longitudinal, transverse, and joint cracking due to traffic loading and thermal stresses. The objective of this investigation was to develop Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Models (3D-FEM) to assess the performance of dowel in Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP).Finite-element modeling is a powerful tool that can be used for the simulation of the structural response of pavements under the effects of different loading condition. Most of the previous studies ignored important factors, including the combined effect of dynamic axle loads and thermal gradient. Overcoming the shortcomings of the previous studies, this study investigated the pavement response under the effect of some model parameters. The result of the study was verified by a comparison with field measurements. Results also showed that the combined negative gradient and axle loads located at the transverse joint subject the top of mid-slab, to high tensile stress that may explain the initiation of top-down cracks. These stresses increase under corner loading when the slab length is increased. In general, the study presented that the developed 3D-FEM is suitable for identifying the effect of different design features including pavement geometry, material properties, thermal gradients, and axle load and configuration on the structural response of rigid pavements.
Highlights
The first model of a rigid pavement as a slab-on-grade system was presented by Westergaard in the 1920’s
The poor assumption concerning the modeling of thin slab layer and foundation and the, thermal loads, and modeling load transfer devices were the main weaknesses of the Westergaard method (Wang, Sargious & Cheung, 1972)
A substantial amount of research and developments have been conducted for years to provide an analytical tool that would be able to model and analyze the behavior of rigid pavements
Summary
The first model of a rigid pavement as a slab-on-grade system was presented by Westergaard in the 1920’s He developed his method to calculate stresses and deflections in rigid pavements due to interior, edge and corner loads later (Westergaard, 1927). Several analytical softwares for modeling jointed concrete slabs on top of elastic foundations have been developed in the last five decades. Zaman et al used ABAQUS to analyze the dynamic response of airport pavement subjected to temperature gradient and wheel loading. He showed that increasing the temperature gradient of the slab increases both the tensile stress and the deflection of the pavement. The objective of this study is to propose a new model to overcome the shortcoming of the previous researches
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